Closing the Distance
by KitaxHaku
Summary: I've got a full plate on my hands: a debt from my gambling father, a mother who remarried into the Yakuza, her creepy right-hand man, and I'm even holding up the shrine on my own. Who thought a flying Irish demon would make things better? JinxOC
1. Chapter 1

I try to mind my own business. It's safer that way.

You know, because if you don't touch it, you won't have the chance to break it.

But when I saw him sitting up in that tree I had to approach him. And it wasn't because of some stroke of faith, or that he looked angelic in the Sakura tree.

No…it wasn't anything silly like that.

It was much, much more simple.

"You…have a horn on your head."

He blinked, realizing that he was being talked to, and turned to look down at me with crisp blue eyes.

It hadn't been a question, more like a statement that I felt the need to clarify.

But, realizing that I had, once again, been zoning out while walking, I shuffled uncomfortably at my blunt attitude.

We were alone in the woods in the middle of the night. And I just spoke to a weirdo with a horn.

Not one of my smartest moves.

He eyed me up and down, eyebrows lost in red hair. "Aye, that ah do."

"Are…are you a monster?" I asked, disturbed at the calmness of our conversation. The red head eyed again me with a grin before jumping down from the tree. A gust of wind lowered him gently.

_Well that isn't something you see every day._

"Ah am a demon, that ah am." He said, "But ah ain't no monster."

I pulled back a strand of my black hair that had been blown by the strange gust of wind. I found it stranger that I _wasn't _running away from this demon, but actually taking a step closer.

"Aren't they the same thing?"

He laughed, shaking his head as he leaned closer to me.

"You ask a mighty lot of questions, lassie."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and instantly caused panic to shoot through my heart. I tried to tug away, but he didn't even seem to notice my panic.

"But ya do got courage, talkin' to meh like ye aren't scared." He paused, lifting his free hand to his chin. "Tell ya wot. Ye buy me dinner and I'll answer every one of your wee inquiries!"

"L-let go of me!"

Realizing that I was indeed struggling, he did as he was told. I flung myself away from him and turned, covering my quickly beating heart.

"I must be going crazy…I'm having a conversation with an Irish demon."

The demon chuckled in reply to my mutter. "You're all the same, ye little humans. Ye all think we're not real. Though ah admit, you are takin' it fairly well! Won time, I had accidentally popped in front of tis one lass," He whistled, "oh, wot a freak out she had, she did."

I turned to him, and replied, ignoring his little story. "But we have logical reasons to not believe you—demons—are real." I pointed to his horn.

"For example, for all I know that 'horn' could simply be papier-mâché."

"paper mi…paper wot?" He shrugged. "Well, fer one, ah don't even know wot tat is. An' two, you can think wot you like, but in te end, I'm real. And so is t'is horn." He jumped in the air, crossing his legs in the process, and looked at me with a tilted head as he glided in the air closer.

"'Nd last time ah checked, lassie, humans couldn't fly."

I stared up at him, my eyes wide. He noticed my surprised stare, and let his feet touch the ground. He leaned towards me with a small smile. "Aye, don't b' scared. I won' hurt ya."

I stared up at the blue orbs, and found it strange that I _wasn't _scared of him. I knew, somehow, that he wasn't going to hurt me. And, in contrast to many ideas of the human race, I _liked _this goofy demon in front of me.

And that…that was what scared me. It wasn't a safe idea.

He blinked, moving slightly to lean his weight on one leg, and snapped me out of my stare. I smiled lightly and turned to face the other way.

Well, seeing that I had already commenced in conversation with the demon, I took it to the next level.

"…Shall I cook dinner for you, Mr. Demon?"

He chuckled behind me, clapping his hands. "Aye, wee lass! But mah name's not Mr. Demon. Call meh Jin!"

~…*…*…*…*…~

Jin whistled as we walked into my home; a neighborhood Shinto shrine.

I took my shoes off at the entrance, and stepped up into slippers. I turned, bowing slightly, and motioned for him to follow. "The kitchen is right this way."

He looked at the slippers I had put on, and looked at his feet, which only wore strips of leather. I noticed his discomfort and smiled lightly, walking back.

"It's alright, just come in."

He looked up at me, still brooding. "But ye invited meh to ya home, and ah want to follow ye home's rules, ye see?"

I turned to him all the way, putting my hand on my chin. "Do you suppose…you could do that floating thing again?" I asked lightly, spinning my finger. "At least, until I find some slippers for you."

Jin clapped, nodding his head so hard that I thought he'd hurt himself. He jumped in the air lightly, and stayed up there as he moved into the living room. I smiled, watching him float around the room, twisting his head in interest at the things hanging on the walls and banisters.

I slipped into another room, the smile still on my face.

Oh sweet company. It was something I had longed for, in any shape or form. And, oh boy, did I get a form of it.

I came back out of the room after successfully finding slippers for Jin, only to find him gone. "Hello?" I called, leaning out of the doorway.

Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. I swirled around and screamed loudly as I saw Jin's head floating beside mine, upside down.

He seemed as startled as I did, and flew away from me quickly, still upside down, only to hit the wall with a loud BAM. I covered my mouth as I took as step back, realizing what I had done.

"J-Jin!" I said, quickly running up to him as his body reached the floor.

He sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Owe, wot a wonker tat one wa'…" I leaned my hand to his face, rubbing a smudge of dirt off of his face.

"I-I'm sorry, Jin!" I said, pulling my hanker chief out from my pocket, and continuing to clean his face. "Did that hurt? It looked like it did…oh of course it hurt! Should we go to the hospital?"

He took hold of my wrist, and grinned, his ears twitching comically. "Don' ye worry, lassie! Ah'va been through worse, ya?" He crossed his ankles, grinning wider. "Boy, aren't you a worry wort? T'was meh fault, anyhow."

I sat back on my knees, sighing as my face flushed. "I…it's because I screamed like that…I surprised myself."

He looked at me, tilting his head again. I, noticing his discomfort, tilted my head the opposite way to humor him before handing him the box with slippers.

"Here, these should fit just fine."

He took them, looking like an excited child at Christmas, before opening them and sliding the slippers on his feet. He stood, rocking back and forward, his tongue out as if he was focusing. "Te' feel weird."

"Do you just want to take them off?" I offered, lifting the box for him to put the slippers back in.

"Wot? No!" He jumped back from me as I blinked. "Ah like em! Te'r weird, in a different wei, ye know?"

I chuckled as I stood up, and moved my hands to raise them up towards the kitchen. "Well I'm glad you like them. Would you like to eat now?"

The blue orbs glowed at the mention of food, and he rubbed his hands together. "Oh boy, would I!"

~…*…*…*…*…~

Ah watched te human girl with curiosity drippin' off meh grin. How did she manage te stay so durn calm round a demon?

"How do you like it?" She asked, noticin' meh stare. I widened me grin, nodding.

"Tis good!"

She smiled. I leaned forward after shoving another biscuit down meh throat. "Ye should smile like that all te time, ah tell ya. Ye look mighty pretty—not tat ye don't, already!"

She blinked and looked at meh again, tis time blushin'. "T…thank you." She said, swiping a strand of thread black hair behind her ear.

"So why did ye do it?" I asked. She looked at me, confused. "Why did ye trust meh so easily? Even after ye found I was a demon?"

She took a wee sip o' her drink, and set it down, revealin a sad expression. "I…don't really know." She said. "Perhaps it's because I don't really fit in anywhere…so a demon amongst humans must be lonely, too." She smiled a wee toothy grin.

"Although, I doubt you have that problem…you are very charismatic, Jin."

Ah grinned, my ears twitchin'. "Aye, that ah am. Tho the wee lil humans don' find that te matter much." Ah tapped meh 'orn.

"Te see tis and start a runnin'. Ah thought tat they'd maybe be like meh two human friends, but ah was wrong." He lifted his hand to his chin.

"Although, ah suppose ah could simply make meself look loik ye humans…but tat's no fun. Tey don make much sense in their toughts, though…all tes humans worship gods, but refuse to believe in us demon." Ah grinned, even wider. "Well, all but ye, ye little buggar."

~…*…*…*…*…~

I smiled at Jin. "Yes, well, I must say I am glad I believe. I seem to have made quite a friend."

The demon frowned, and quickly leaned forward, so far that his face was inches from mine. "Do ye mean it?"

"M-mean it?" I stuttered, looking at him with big eyes. He nodded, lifting a finger. "What, being friends?"

"Ye. Cause I don' take the title lite'ly."

"Oh." I blinked again before smiling lightly. "Of course I mean it. Friends are precious."

Jin returned to his giddy self, nodding in agreement. "Aye, aye!"

We sat across from each other, enjoying each other's company. I tried to enjoy it to its fullest extent, knowing that this wouldn't last for long.

After finishing our conversation, I showed Jin around my home, and he seemed interested in everything; from the washer to the light bulbs.

"Get it away from meh!"

Well, all except for my cat.

I blinked as my cat, Yori, hissed at the now floating Jin. He himself hissed back before noticing my startled expression.

"Wot is'a sweet thing like ye doin' wit' such a devil?" He spat.

"A devil?" I quoted. "You mean my cat?" I lifted the feline up to him, causing Jin to once again smash up into the ceiling.

"J-Jin!" I dropped Yori who glowered at me from behind as I raced over to Jin. "I'm sorry—I did it again!"

But he only chuckled up to my frantic face, grinning. He pulled my cheek gently, and I felt my face flush. "Ye lil' worry wort."

~…*…*…*…*…~

"You may use this room for the night." I said lightly as I turned the light of the guest room on. Jin walked in, whistling as he looked around with his hands laced behind his head.

"Is it relly okey fer meh te use this room?" He asked. I nodded, smiling.

"Of course it is! No one comes here to use it much, anymore." I zoned out for a moment, I confess, and Jin walked up to me.

I blinked, snapping my head up to smile again. "A-anyway, feel free to wonder around the house. The bathroom is down the hall on the left."

He seemed surprised at my sudden change of attitude, but nodded all the same to me. I walked out, and turned to close the door. I stopped as there was an inch left, and peaked at Jin.

"J…Jin?"

He blinked, turning to me again. "Ye?"

"…thank you." Before he could ask what I meant, I closed the door and ran to my room.

~…*…*…*…*…~

The next morning, I woke up feeling depressed.

Was Jin a dream?

"No…of course not." I said, chuckling as I sat up. "But he's probably gone by now…he couldn't stay here forever."

I wondered…was I pathetic for making a demon a friend, or, in a strange way, somehow blessed?

I slowly made my way to the kitchen, avoiding Jin's room.

It was amazing on what a few, simple words could do to a girl's heart. Call her a precious friend and she's all yours.

"I'm lucky he wasn't the heart eating type." I mumbled to myself, smiling at my joke.

"Aye, tat ye are."

I jumped, almost dropping the carton of Orange Juice. I spun around to see Jin sitting at the table, resting his chin on his hand as his ears twitched. He grinned one of his toothy grins. "Good mornin' to ye, lass!"

"W-what are you still doing here?" I stuttered, holding my hand over my mouth lightly. "I…I thought you'd be gone."

Jin frowned while looking away. "Well, ah was goin' te spend a lil moar time wit ya, but if ye feel tat way…"

"Oh, no!" I yelped, my face red. "I-I mean…I…I'm glad that you're still here…I thought you wouldn't want to stay any longer…"

He jumped out of his seat and into the air to float over to me. He laid in the air, leaning his head down to mine. I looked into his fresh blue orbs, my face taken over by the color red.

"Ah told ye, friends are precious."

I blinked and smiled back at him, giggling a little. All the sad weight in my heart lifted.

"Yes…they are!"

He smiled back, his ears twitching. "By te wei…"

I blinked again, looking at him as he stood on the ground, "Wot on earth is ye name?"

I blushed, realizing that I hadn't introduced myself.

"O-oh dear! Excuse me for not introducing myself earlier!" I bowed quickly. "My name is Chihiro Takahashi!"

~…*…*…*…*…~

Awwwww! I love Jin. He makes me happy, with his accent and all. That was my first time writing Jin in anything…how do you think it was? I'm writing this story to get back into writing...I've been gone form this account far too long.


	2. Chapter 2

Am I the only author who writes a chapter, and is really proud of it, until she reads it online and suddenly finds things she wants to change? Man…it stinks. But it leaves room for improvement. :)

Thank you so much for the reviews! They surprised me, and I was thrilled to read them! :D

Enjoy the chapter! Thanks for reading!

~…..*…~

"Mornin' lass!"

I squeaked in surprise, rocking off balance on the foot stool. "O-oh!"

I fell down into Jin's arms, his breath dancing on my cheek as he chuckled.

"Clumsy as ever, ah see." Jin observed as he lifted me onto my feet. I pulled a strand of hair behind my ear as I looked down, embarrassed. It was becoming a habit whenever he was around.

"G-good morning, Jin. It's been a while." I said. I looked to the side of his head, expecting to see a twitching ear, but his head was covered by a cream hat. I noticed that he was wearing khaki pants and a green hoodie today as well, instead of his normal white cloth outfit.

"You're wearing different clothes than usual…?"

"Wot do ye need from up there, wee maiden?" Jin asked, seemingly ignoring my question and pointing up to the cabinet I had been trying to get to.

"O-oh…the purple dishes, if you please." I requested lightly. Jin didn't even have to get on his toes. He simply reached up and grabbed them with his large hand.

It had been two months since I had first met Jin. After the second day, he left for a while, and I didn't expect to see him again. He had mentioned that he had work to take care of before he could come back and see me. But at the beginning of the second month, he began visiting me more often.

He turned to me and smiled, his ears twitching even underneath his hat. "Here ye are."

"Thank you, Jin." I said, smiling back. His stomach growled. "…I suppose you'd like breakfast?"

He grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "That'd be lovely, if ye don mind."

"Then you can set up the table." I said with a smile. "The chopsticks are in that drawer."

He put the dishes down on the table with a happy grin, humming an obscure note as he dug in the drawer to find his favorite pair of chopsticks. I smiled lightly, watching his back. As he searched, he tore off the hat, muttering something about 'stupid human clothing.' I looked at his outfit again, realizing how good he looked in green. And then I realized it wasn't just the color green.

He looked REALLY good in those clothes…

"Alrighty!" He declared, turning around to face me. "Ah'm all done, lassie!"

I turned to the stove, my face just as hot. "A-ah…great. T-thank you for your help. You can go in the living room and watch television if you'd like."

"Awesome!" There was a pause, and then suddenly Jin was behind me, hugging my waist. "You're te best, Chihiro!"

I laughed, auto-drive on as my head span. "T-thank you…Jin."

He let go and strolled into the living room, only to jump into the air with a yelp. A hiss could be heard from the other side of the room.

"Darn it! Ah thought we had a talk 'bout this devil, Chihiro! Ye should really get rid of it!"

I only giggled, shaking my head as I watched the two danced around the room. "Make sure you don't break anything!"

Jin growled. "Tell that te that ting!"

_Hiss!_

~…..*…~

Jin and I sat at the table, making small talk as we ate breakfast.

"So what kind of work do you do?" I asked. He blinked, swallowing his food. "It must be important, to have you gone for months at a time."

He grinned. "Remember wee lass tat this place is like mah vacation world."

~…..*…~

Ah clamped meh hand over mah mouth. T'was too easy to talk to tis lass. Humans aren't supposed to know about the other worlds, and here ah was, babblin' bout the human world being my _vacation _spot.

She raised an eyebrow. "Vacation…**world**?"

"A-ah…notin te worry yer self about!" Ah tried to laugh it off, and thankfully the lass dropped te question. Ah changed the subject. "By the wei, ah been meanin te ask ye…but why do ye live in such a big temple all by ye lonesome?"

She froze, seemingly taken off guard by the question, and slowly lowered her spoon.

"W-well…my mother left us when I was young, and my father is traveling right now." She said.

Ah looked at te gal with a raised eyebrow, but pushed no further. She seemed uncomfortable with the conversation. Her wee hand was shakin te soup out o her spoon.

"Ah'm sorry, lass."

She looked to te side in silence for a wee moment before she looked up at me with a smile. T'was as fake as anyting ah'd ever seen.

"No, it's alright. I don't remember much about her. She worked in the shrine so much that she was never inside the house much."

Ah began to regret bringin up te question. Chihiro's eyes were clouded and set on te table. Sometin told meh ah wan't getting te whole story…but ah let it go.

Ah'd suddenly do anyting te make Chihiro smile again.

~…..*…~

"A-anywei…"

I looked up at Jin as I let go of my spoon to pick up a napkin and clean the mess I had made.

"Ah came here ta see if ye'd like to go out with me today."

I blinked, pausing the circular motion of the napkin and looking up at the red headed demon.

"…what?"

He leaned on his elbows, grinning his toothy grin. "Ye'r always so hospitable to meh, ah wanted to take ye somewhere! Wot do ye sei? Ah invited some of me friends too, so that ye can finally meet 'em! Well, my human friends, anywei. Ah don think ye'r ready to meet the others quite yet."

His ears twitched, which translated to something comical or something exciting. I figured he was excited. Although the rush of memories had knocked me down, Jin's smile brought me out of my funk.

I sighed, smiling lightly. "Sure, I'd love to."

Jin's smile widened (I didn't know it could) and he jumped out of his seat.

"Woohoo! Ye won't regret tis, lass! Ye'll have te best day o' ye life today!"

~…..*…~

"Oi!"

Two guys and a girl turned to us. Jin waved excitedly and screamed out to them repeatedly until we were under their noses. If he didn't have his hoodie up, his horn and twitching long ears would have everyone's attention. He decided to keep the hat off, saying it bothered his ears too much.

"You don't have to scream so loud, Jin." The one with slicked back hair commented. "We're right here."

"Yusuke, don't be suck a jerk." The girl snarled, whacking his head before turning to me with a smile. "Hello, you must be Chihiro! Nice to meet you, I'm Keiko."

I smiled and bowed lightly. "I-it's nice to meet you as well."

Jin wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close while leaning towards Yusuke. "See? She's the one who _feeds_ me."

"I don't have to feed you anything, you free loader! Don't try to guilt trip me! You've gotten plenty of free ramen over the years." Yusuke snapped.

Jin and Yusuke seemed to have a glaring battle for a moment before the other guy interrupted.

"Break it up you two. We're here to hang out, not kill each other."

"Shut up Kuwabara!" Yusuke snapped.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Kuwabara yelled, his forehead already pressed against Yusuke's.

I blinked in confusion, leaning closer to Jin's body. I wasn't a fan of rough housing.

Jin must have noticed, because he lowered his head down. "Don ye worry, lass. Tis how they always be. Although ah don understand quite how, these two be the two best friends ah've eva seen."

I looked over at the two, who had parted and were now grinning friendly at me.

"Yeah don't worry," Yusuke said, "we don't bite."

He stepped towards me and stuck out his hand. "Yusuke. Nice to meet ya, Chi **(1)**."

I met his hand with mine, but looked at him in confusion. "C-Chi?"

"Good nickname, right? You have really pretty red eyes, so I thought it fit." Yusuke said with a grin before being pushed out of the way by Kuwabara.

"Hey there! Don't pay attention to that loser. I'm Kuwabara!"

I smiled nervously towards him, but watched Yusuke slowly get up. "I-it's nice to meet you, too…"

"Kuwabara…I'm gonna kill you!" Yusuke tackled him to the ground and I backed away. Jin petted my head with a big grin.

I found it funny that I was more comfortable with a demon than with those two.

~…..*…~

"I really like your dress, Chihiro! Where did you get it?"

I blushed lightly, thanking Keiko for her compliment as I picked at my purple sun dress. We were at an arcade, and the boys had long separated to go settle things through violent video games.

"Actually…I made it."

Keiko's mouth dropped. "R-really?"

I nodded. "I have a lot of free time…so I like to make outfits from time to time."

Well, I used to. Before Jin came into my life.

I smiled at the thought before looking back up at Keiko. "If you have a specific fabric that you'd like to be turned into a dress or anything…I'd be happy to make it for you."

Keiko smiled and nodded. "That'd be great…but do you think you could help me make it instead?"

I blinked.

"That way we can get to know each other better."

I paused. It had been so long since I'd had a conversation like this.

"O-okay!" I smiled. "That sounds great…I'd really like that."

~…..*…~

"You seem to really like that Chi chick, don't you Jin?"

Ah blinked, lookin over at Yusuke, who wos grinnin from ear te ear. "Ye, of course! She's a real sweet heart, she is."

"But how much do you like her?" Kuwabara asked, steppin off o the arcade bike wit an equally questionable grin. "Like…I'd stay in the human world forever for you, like?"

"Wot?" Ah shouted. A lot o people turned te look at me with confused looks, including Keiko and Chihiro. Ah waved towards them wit a wide chuckling grin before facin the two buffoons.

"Wot on Earth are ye insinuatin? Sure, Chi's pretty and all, but we only met loik two months ago!"

"Love doesn't have to have a timeline." Kuwabara said dramatically. "It makes its own rules!"

Yusuke and ah both rolled our eyes at em. "Why are ye askin this, anywei?"

"It's just that when Kurama finds out about you having a relationship with a human…" Yusuke muttered, "he's gonna give you hell for it. You know how paranoid he gets."

Ah rolled my eyes again. "Well fer one, if you ain't gonna tell him, he won know. And secondly…"

I looked over at Chi, who was gigglin herself into a fit, "Ah don't have feelins fer te girl…not loik tat. She's just…special, is all."

Yusuke and Kuwabara switched a glance before sighin and raising their shoulders in defeat.

"Whatever you say, Jin. Just be careful. Kurama's a smart guy, as you know."

"And at this rate," Kuwabara said, slappin his hand on meh shoulder, "she'll be bound to meet him. Look at how she and Keiko get along!"

Ah turned, lookin at the two chattin awei. I looked down at te ground before shruggin it off. "Ah'v got notin te hide."

But why did ah feel so uncomfortable?

~…..*…~

"Ye seemed te get along well with Keiko, huh?" Ah asked Chi (the nickname stuck).

She smiled a wee bit, peaking up at me. "Yes…she is a very nice girl."

"What'd ye think of Kuwabara and Yusuke?"

She chuckled. "They are…interesting…but also nice. I can see they have their morals."

Ah nodded, approving her approval of meh friends.

"Thank you for inviting me out today, Jin." Ah looked down at her with a blink. "I really enjoyed it."

Ah scratched meh cheek bashfully (only a wee bit tho) and smiled back at her. "We should do it again some time."

She nodded and we walked back to her house. Ah stopped for a wee moment, looking at her as she gracefully walked down te street. Ah rubbed te back of meh head before sighin and catchin up.

~…..*…~

"It was a long day. Do you want to stay over for the night?" I asked Jin as we climbed the stairs to the shrine. He grinned to me.

"Well well well! This seems a wee bit forward! Do ye want meh to?"

I blushed and looked away, stopping in my tracks. "W-why are you asking me that? I'm just thinking you're probably tired…from your job and all…and that you'd like a home cooked meal and—"

Jin laughed full heartedly and patted my head before lowering himself to my height. "Relax, ah was just teasin! Of course ah'll stay."

I stared into his green eyes for a moment longer before racing up the stairs.

"O-oi!" He called after me, "Wot's a matter?"

"N-nothing! I just…just want to get off of these stairs is all!" I stuttered, my face red.

I reached the top of the stairs, huffing as I leaned a hand on a tree. I smiled at the ground.

_I'm really glad I met him…now I actually have…friends._

"Getting an exercise, Chihiro dear?"

My head shot up so fast that I became dizzy, and I rocked back on my heels. Warm hands caught my fall and steadied me forward.

"Oi, you okay Chi?"

I looked up at Jin. "J-Jin…"

~…..*…~

"Who's this?"

Chi turned her head forward and moaned lightly. "Not now…"

A man of about 6'2 feet pranced up, slickin his blonde hair back te get it out of his blue eyes. Ah looked at em, not a wee bit happy when he chuckled down at meh. Ah was only a little bit shorter than em! And that cocky look…it made meh wont to punch his face!

"Kuronusuke…" Chi whispered.

She looked nervous. Like she didn't wont to see this 'Kuronusuke.' Ah pulled her closer to meh chest and wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

"J-Jin!" She said, lookin up at me with those big red eyes as ah glared at the man.

"Who are you?" Kuronusuke asked, sneering slightly towards me with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah think ah should be askin ye that question," Ah said, grinnin challengingly, "on account that ye are the one who makes Chi nervous."

He looked at Chi, who jumped slightly in meh arms. She twisted herself in meh grip to look at meh.

"N-no, Jin, don't worry. He's a…a friend."

Kuronusuke's sneer turned into a smile…and ah didn't like et.

~…..*…~

"A friend?" Jin repeated slowly, obviously skeptical. I nodded before lightly pushing his chest and breaking free of his grip. I bowed lightly to Kuronusuke and turned to look at Jin. "Ye don seem to like em all that much."

"No, it's not like that…" I mumbled. "He…is an acquaintance of my mother, is all."

Truth was, Jin was right. I disliked the person in front of me more than anyone else. But if I let Jin know that, he'd start a war that just didn't need to be started. And I didn't want to get him involved.

"Ye mother?" Jin repeated. "O-oh...ah'm sorry, Chi. Ah shouldn' have assumed things—"

"Is that all you consider me when you're around your friends, Chihiro darling?" Kuronusuke said, wiping an invisible tear. "Oh, and I think the one you should be apologizing to is me, kid." Kuronusuke said, crossing his arms as he approached.

"Rather be a kid than an old man like ye." Jin spat.

"I'm sorry, Kuronusuke," I said lightly, walking up to meet him before they made things worse, "Jin is just protective of his friends—"

"You ain't his girlfriend." Kuronusuke snapped more towards Jin than me. "So he should learn to back off. And I'll have you know I'm no old man, little Jin. I'm only twenty three."

"Why—ye little—"

"Jin!"

He seemed startled that I raised my voice. I lowered my eyes before closing them and shaking my head. "…don't, Jin."

He seemed to want to say more to me, to maybe apologize, but he kept quiet and looked down at his sneakers.

I turned to Kuronusuke again. "Why are you here?"

"Why, am I not allowed to see my fiancé?" He asked, stroking my hair. I tore away from his touch as he grazed my face. It was cold…unlike Jin's.

I turned slightly to see Jin's eyes wide in shock from what he had just heard.

"I-I am not your fiancé, Kuronusuke."

"But I've got your mother's permission to marry you!" He said with a whining voice.

"My mother has not been in charge of me since she left this house." I said quietly, my fists clenched. "She doesn't have custody over me, nor has she come to see me in these past nine years."

I sighed and counted to ten to contain my anger. When Kuronusuke said nothing, I rubbed my forehead. "What did you come here for?" I repeated.

He shrugged. "I just wanted to see you." He said with a smile.

I crossed my arms and looked to the side. "What did you _really_ come here for?"

"Ah, there you are, Chihiro!"

I turned to see Mr. Hamada. I sighed, looking at Kuronusuke, sighing. So _that's _why he was here. I turned to the approaching middle aged man all the way and bowed, still questioning his choice of fashion since last time I'd seen him. A Hawaiian shirt and black dress pants…strange.

"Hello, Mr. Hamada."

"No no no!" He said quickly, his smile gone as he grasped his cheeks dramatically. "You still refuse to call me daddy?"

I eyed him silently before crossing my arms. "To what do I owe this delightful visit, husband-of-my-mother?"

"Oh, getting straight to business, are we?" Hamada asked, rubbing his chin. "I always like that about you, little Chihiro. That's why you'll be great in our family."

When I raised an eyebrow, he took a step closer, his hands raised. "I've come with an offer that you just can't refuse—"

Kuronusuke's hand flew to Hamada's mouth. Hamada questioned Kuronusuke as he grinned his usual grin.

"Maybe this conversation should wait until we are alone with Chihiro, boss…"

Kuronusuke leaned Hamada to the side of my body to look towards Jin. I'm guessing he didn't like what he saw, because Hamada dove onto me, tears falling out of his eyes.

"Chihiro, no! You…you couldn't possibly be…be dating _that_ guy?"

I turned red, looking away from all three men and avoiding eye contact. "N-no! I'm not!"

"Liar! It's written all over your face!" He sobbed. "What happened to you and Kuronusuke? You made such a good couple!"

"We never _were_ a couple!" I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Listen, we're getting way off topic. What did you come here for?"

Hamada let go of my waist and stood up, coughing into his fist. He grinned an unusual grin. "For now, let's just say I came to check on you."

I stared at his curved lips, suspicious.

"Do you need money?" He asked, rubbing his hands together.

Kuronusuke's mouth dropped along with mine. After all he had done to my father…he still didn't learn his lesson…

"If you do, just say the word and I'll write the check!"

"**Get out.**" I said, head lowered.

"Chihiro?" Hamada said, confused. "What's wrong?"

I swiped at his face, but Kuronusuke pulled him just barely out of my reach. I stepped forward, enraged. "Do you plan to make me fall into debt just like my father? You filthy Yakuza!"

"I do believe we have run out of time for today, Chihiro." Kuronusuke said, smiling as Hamada wept behind him. "I'm glad you're doing well. Say goodbye, Mr. Hamada."

Hamada waved up at me, his face still full of tears and snot. "Bye bye, Chihiro…"

They walked towards the stairs, and therefore towards Jin. Kuronusuke paused beside the red headed demon, and smiled his seemingly friendly smile. "See you later, little Jin." He walked away, seemingly satisfied with Jin's hiss.

I sighed before turning to Jin. He looked at me, his ears slightly lowered when he pulled down his hood. "I'm sorry, Jin." I walked up to him with lowered eyebrows. "They come to…chat…like that a lot of the time. I should have told you."

"No, it's meh who should be sorry. Ah was rude." He shuffled in discomfort.

I blinked before looking up at him. "Jin…can I ask you a favor?"

He looked at me with raised eyes.

"Can you…not ask about any of this? At least for now."

He smiled lightly before patting my head. "Sure, Chi, sure."

My lips quivered in both shame and embarrassment. Jin lowered his head down to my height. "Y-ye okay?"

I found myself wrapping my arms around his waist, my shoulders shaking as I dug my face into his jacket. Jin shuffled under my grip, probably unsure about what to do. But in the end, he only wrapped is arm around my shoulder, and patted my head with his hand.

"Ye'll be just fine." He whispered, his chin touching the top of my head.

I pulled back, realizing what I had been doing, and wiped away the potential tears that had brimmed. "T-thank you, Jin. A-anyway, why don't we head inside?" I asked. I turned, my thoughts wrapped around now not only Kuronusuke and Hamada, but Jin as well.

I couldn't get too close to Jin, I reminded myself, it'd only end as a tragedy.

~…..*…~

**Chi means energy or blood in Japanese. Yusuke refers to her red eyes.**

Whew! Another chapter done! I liked this one a lot; not sure why. Anyway, thanks for reading; hope to see you next chapter! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for the reviews! And thank you, PreCure5Cool, for correcting that color mistake! I totally missed that!

Now, onwards to the story! :D

~…..*…~

"You were right." I said stepping into the incense smoke filled room. "There's a demon with her."

She nodded in response, not even bothering to pull the bed canopy back. Instead she just laid there, me only knowing this by her hazy figure.

"I don't think he realized I was a demon too…if he did, he was really good at hiding it."

She raised her hand, index finger out. I lifted my wrist with a sigh, nodding. "Yeah, I still got the power-shielding bracelet on. I haven't taken it off this whole month. Thanks for reminding me of what a slave I am."

She waved her index finger towards the wall and I pathetically followed suit. My back slammed into the wall as though I were a rag doll she'd gotten tired of. I bit my lip to keep my mouth from making a sound of weakness, but a grunt made its way through. I sat there for a moment, breathing deeply to keep myself from losing it.

Because if I lost it…I'd only be hurting myself.

I looked up with a smile when I calmed down, wiping off the blood leaking off of my lip as I stood up. "I apologize; I shouldn't have said that, my mistress."

I heard her sigh before flicking her hand towards the door. I bowed before making my exit. Once the door was closed behind me, I bit into my fist until I heard my bone crack.

What a horrible fate it was…to be contracted to such a bitch.

"Is my darling in there?" Hamada called sweetly, running up to me like a school girl. I sighed, rolling my eyes before nodding. What a freak. Why did she marry this guy again?

"Yeah, she's in there." Hamada skipped in, screaming happily about how grown up Chihiro was becoming.

My hand twitched and I looked down at it as it slowly began to heal. I walked down the corridor, blood steadily dripping onto the ground.

~…..*…~

It was a nice day. The birds were chirping, and the sun was shining brightly. I stepped off the stairs to sweep the grounds of the shrine with a sigh. Although the day was beautiful, my outlook wasn't as green.

Kuronusuke, Mr. Hamada and Jin: three men that fell into my life unexpectedly. Who would've thought they'd all be destroying my mind all at once?

Yesterday's incidents rang clearly in my mind. I was missing something…an important piece of the puzzle. The Hamada-is-up-to-something-again puzzle.

I swept a small pile of leaves high into the air, and let out a frustrated huff before watching them scatter on the ground.

"Tat's the first tome ah've seen ya in _tat_ outfet…"

I jumped, turning around to face the blue eyed demon. He raised an eyebrow, questioning my jump like he usually did.

"O-oh, good morning, Jin." I smiled lightly before glancing down at my Miko uniform. "And by outfit, are you referring about my Miko uniform?"

He leaned on a pillar, his eyes going up and down. I felt uncomfortable under his gaze. Things had gotten a bit awkward since Mr. Hamada and Mr. Kuronusuke's visit.

I had mixed feelings about Jin having been there last night. If he hadn't been there, then maybe I'd know what they were there for in the first place…and Jin wouldn't be involved at all.

Jin leaned forward towards me, obviously curious to see what I was thinking in my mind. At this rate, with his curiosity, he was bound to find out more than he needed to know…

"It looks nice on ye, it does!" He said, smiling with a hand on his chin.

I thanked him shyly, snapping out of my daze, before continuing to sweep. "So wot's it mean? Te Miko outfet? Ah've seen it, but never really understood it…"

"This outfit is for the helpers of the Shinto shrines. We help around the shrine with ceremonies and sell things, amongst other duties."

"Huh, is that so?" He stretched before leaning on the rail and bending his head over to look at me again. "Ye know, ye should just become a priestess."

"W-what?" I stuttered, "Me? Oh goodness no. I'm just holding the fort until my father returns. And then—"

He flipped over so that he could see me clearly. "Nd then…?"

I felt my shoulders tense and I shook my head. "N-nothing. I…I'll help out around here like I always do."

I took a few steps away from Jin to continue cleaning, and he made no further comments on the topic.

I felt as though I was somehow neglecting him because of my busy mind, though, so I turned to glance at him. He was leaning at the same spot where I'd left him, and his eyes were still glued on me.

~…..*…~

She turned right back around after flashing a panicked kind o smile. Ah sighed lightly. Te lassie had been off her rocker since last night. No doubt it had to do with tat cocky bastard, Kuronusuke.

Jest who did he tink he wos? He acted loik he wos Chihiro's fiancé. And Chihiro herself said t'wasn't like tat.

Ah stopped meh thoughts in meh tracks. Why wos ah worrin about _that_? Chihiro's love life wos none of mah concern!

Ah hit meh head with a growl before looking up at Chihiro, who wos now te one doin te starin. Ah grinned nervously, tryin te laugh it (wot ever it wos) off.

"S-so, Chi, are ye good at anyting specific? With tis whole Miko ting?"

She nodded slowly, as if gradually letting her confusion go along with it. "I suppose…I am reasonably skilled in mediation and exorcisms."

"Oh really?" Ah asked, my eyebrow raised. "Tat's mighty impressive for a wee lass like yo self." She nodded, still turned away from me.

"But I've never done anything big with exorcisms…when I was younger I'd sometimes tag along with my father to cleanse houses that were thought to be haunted."

Ah rested my head on my hand. "Maybe tat's why ye approached meh tat first tome, ye? Ye got sometin special bout ye?" I questioned.

She shrugged lightly as she stopped sweepin nd turned around te face meh. "Well…I agree that I am a bit special, in the sixth sense kind of way, but…" She looked up at meh while pulling a strand of her black hair behind her ear.

"I think I just talked to you that night…because I was zoned out when I saw your horn."

Ah crossed meh arms and looked inte meh red locks. "So it t'was cause of meh looks, eh? Ah didn't know ye were loik tat, Chi."

She blinked and stared at meh for a moment before laughing. Ah, there it t'was. There was Chi's smile.

But it wos quickly replaced by a frustrated attempt at happiness. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry, Jin…" She said, taking a step towards meh.

"Wot's this now?" Ah asked, swinging over the rail to get closer. "Sorry for wot?"

"I've been just awful towards you since last night…I've just been so frustrated…what with the shrine in danger of going under, and my father being gone for so long…and the debt, and Hamada, and—"

"Slow down, girlie! You're going way too fast now." Ah said, raising my arms. "Ah get it. Ye're swomped wit stress. But ah don't expect ye te tell meh every little ting about ye're life. Take yer time, ah'll be here when ye're ready. Don worry about little ol' meh."

Ah wonted te tell her tat everyting wos alright. Tat everytin tat had happened, had happened for a reason. Ah wonted to take her into mah arms; ah wonted to hold her.

She sighed, wiping her eyes before lookin at meh wit a determined of sorts look.

"I want to tell you everything, Jin. Everything about my—"

~…..*…~

"Excuse me?"

Jin ducked suddenly, his hands covering the top of his head. I spun around with a wide smile on, nervous sweat already rolling down my cheek.

_Did they see it?_

An elderly woman stood in front of me, one arm carrying a small purse and the other clinging onto a younger boy's arm. She looked towards Jin with a raised eyebrow as he resurfaced his head now covered by his hood.

"M-may I help you?" I stuttered, walking forward as I tried to calm myself.

"Yes…" The woman said, patting the boy's hand as to tell him to move forward, "I came in search of Priestess Takahashi."

"Priestess Takahashi is no longer serving under this shrine's name." I said, a bit thrown off by the request. It had been big news when my mother left to remarry into the Yakuza. That was one of the main reasons no one came to the shrine anymore.

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "That's strange…I received a letter assuring me she had returned…"

"Eh?" I said, my body tensing. "A-a letter…?"

The boy silently led her to the closest bench.

Who would have told her that my mother had returned? She had been gone far too long for a worthless rumor in the community to begin…

"P-perhaps there is something I can help you with?" I offered. She looked up at me, still rubbing her forehead, when she suddenly pulled me down to her height by my collar.

"You…are you her daughter?" She asked, her eyes narrowed. "Your eyes are similar…almost exact!"

After readjusting my uniform, I coughed into my hand. "Y-yes, I am her daughter. If there is anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to ask."

She looked over to the boy who sat silently beside her, staring into the sky. "Sora, why don't you go play over there for a little while we talk?"

He didn't even give her a glance. Instead he walked away slowly. We watched him in silence as, in the back of my head, I felt a tingle.

"P-pardon me if I'm wrong, but…" The elderly woman looked at me, "did you happen to come here because of him?"

She raised an eyebrow as she sat back. "I see you also have the ability. The ability to see what others cannot."

I nodded slowly. "I do not have as strong powers as my parents…but I can sense when something is…off." Jin approached us from behind, startling me as he slapped his arm across my shoulder.

"Aye! Wot's up, granny?" He asked, leaning towards the elderly woman. She narrowed her eyes and pulled out a fan to slap his forehead. He flew up into a standing position, cursing while holding his forehead in his hands.

"Wot wos tat for, ye old badger?"

The old woman pulled the fan open and waved a small breeze onto herself. "Humph! What a spoiled boy."

I bowed in apology multiple times, every two bows or so turning to scold Jin. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am, h-he's a bit new to the whole shrine thing…"

"You do not have to work at a shrine to have manners." She said, eyes closed as she snapped the fan shut. "We were having a conversation that did not involve him, and he rudely interrupted."

"Ey! Te only reason ah was tryin te get in tis conversation wos because I can see wot's wrong with te boy as well, and wos gonna offer ye mah help!"

The woman stood up abruptly, nearly falling over had I not caught her. "M-ma'am!"

"You…are you an exorcist?" She asked, her body becoming heavier in my arms. "Can…can you save my grandson?"

I looked over at Jin, who was blinking in confusion. I sighed. "G-give us a moment, ma'am. I need to talk to my friend for a moment."

She seemed to gain back her strength and sat down, her head lowered. I pulled Jin far away, scolding him as we went.

"What were you thinking?" I asked, a squeak coming out from frustration. "You are giving this woman false hope for something that we don't even know the slightest about!"

Jin, who had knocked down the hood since we were alone, dug into his ear with his pinkie, looking away.

"But…ah really do know wot it is." He said before grinning down at me.

"Huh?" I asked, blinking. "Y-you do?"

"Yup. Tis a wee soul sucker…a demon parasite of sorts." He explained. "Ah had one meh self, a year or two ago. Te lil stink bugs, they are. Take all of the emotion out o ye."

"So, how do you get them off?" I asked, moving closer.

~…..*…~

"Y-ye're a bit too excited about this…" Ah said, at first rearin away a wee moment before bendin down close te her face.

"Can you blame me?" She asked, her hands balled inte fists of enthusiasm. "If we exercise her grandson…we can get paid! And then I can pay off some of my father's debt!"

She wos so excited…it hurt mah heart to tell her te fact tat ah had no idea on how te get it off.

"E-eh?" She said, her head lowerin, along wit te joy in her face. "Oh…is that so…"

Ah sighed, pattin her head. "Ah'm sorry, lass."

T'was true, ah didn't. The only way ah even got it off wos thanks te Kurama. And there was no way ah wos gonna let him know ah was, as he liked te say, "spending too much time in the human world."

And then, ah looked down at Chihiro.

And saw her disappointed face.

And felt guilty.

"B-but…ah think ah know someone who can."

Maybe Yusuke wos right…maybe ah wos gettin too close to this lassie…


	4. Chapter 4

"Please forget everything about Jin."

That was the request that Shuichi Minamino gave me when Jin and I asked him for help.

Ah, but, don't get me wrong. Shuichi—or, rather, I've been told to call him Kurama—was a very nice and well behaved gentleman. In fact, even his beautiful red hair and bright green eyes were interestingly attractive.

He, however, had a cold glaze over his face for a moment when Jin introduced me. He had covered it with a gleaming smile.

And that made me weary of him.

Jin had explained on the way to Kurama's apartment what type of guy he was.

"_He's a real charmer, he is." Jin said as he described his friend. "Sometimes ah wonder if he just whips up a special plant perfume or sometin te get all the perfect that is Kurama."_

_I giggled before he pushed his index finger close to my face._

"_But be warned, Chi," He said with a serious face. "He's a demon, just like meh. Except he don find meh hangin wit te humans as amusin. He'll do anyting te get meh te go away."_

"_R-really?" He nodded. "But…why?"_

_Jin stopped walking and turned to me again, but this time with an almost pitiful smile. "Perhaps…it's cause it'd be best if ye weren't involved wit meh."_

At first, I didn't really understand. But Kurama made it quite clear once we sat down with tea.

"So, you work at a shrine, Mrs. Takahashi?"

I nervously took a sip as I looked up at Kurama, who was burrowing holes into my eyes (if not my soul). "Y-yes…that is correct."

He leaned back, resting his eyes for a moment. "And you have a customer who has a soul sucker on them, which you'd like to be removed?"

I nodded again, trying to find my voice. "Yes…you see, the victim is a little boy. His grandmother seems to care deeply for him, which is why I'd like to help them…at any cost."

Kurama's eyes flickered for a moment and Jin's shoulders became stiff.

"I see…and why did you decide to come see me?"

I looked down at my lap, uncomfortable with his gaze so consistently on me. "W-well…Jin mentioned that you had helped get one off of him before. I was hoping there was a way you could get it off of the boy."

Kurama sighed lightly, now setting his gaze on Jin. "What were you thinking?"

Jin straightened his back. "W-well, te boy is really gettin it sucked out o em, Kurama—"

"I was talking about her." He said, stretching his hand out towards me. "I've warned you many a time to not get involved with humans. Yet here you are, practically free-loading off of one."

"E-ey!" Jin argued, pumping his fist in front of him. "Ah am not! Ah help around with chores every tome she needs help!"

"That's not the point." Kurama said with a sigh. "The point is that you're a demon that can easily bring danger in and out of her life. And you're being too stubborn to admit it and leave her."

"U-um…if I'm being a bother," I murmured, "I can just leave…"

"And just wot is tat supposed te mean?" Jin asked, completely ignoring my input. "Aren't ye in the same situation wit ye mother-dear?"

Kurama's eyes flashed dangerously. I guessed that his 'mother-dear' was a touchy subject. He stood up, glaring down at Jin. "Yes. Yes I am. However, that is because I love my mother, and I take the responsibility to protect her."

"Oh yeah?" Jin yelled, also standing. I tugged at his pants.

"J-Jin…calm down!"

"Well wot if ah care about Chihiro?"

I stopped tugging and instantly felt my cheeks burn. "J-Jin…"

"W…what?" Kurama said, his eyes widened for a moment.

"Ye heard meh! Does mah care for Chihiro not mean anyting just cause she ain't mah mother?"

The two were having a glaring contest. Kurama's eyes narrowed. "You…don't tell me you have actual feelings for Mrs. Takahashi?"

"H-huh?" Jin's fiery spirit deflated faster than a soufflé. He crossed his arms and looked to the side. "F-feelings? Ah…we're just good friends, tat's all."

I stood up meekly, my cheeks on fire. "U-um…I'm just going to leave."

Their glaring contest ended as they set their gazes on me. "I didn't know that asking for your help was going to cause an argument. I'll…just figure something else out."

"Oh no," Jin said, realizing how stuck I was, "no, Chi, don go. We're sorry."

He elbowed Kurama in the chest. "_Aren't_ we?"

Kurama cleared his throat. "I…apologize for getting off topic."

The two sat back down and waited for me to follow suit. I bit my lower lip as I sat down beside Jin silently.

"So, you want me to get the soul sucker off." Kurama asked to get back on topic. I nodded, not even bothering to lift my head up.

There was a moment of silence before Kurama's hand slid into my view. I looked up with lowered eyebrows.

~…*…~

"E-eh?" Chi stuttered, looking at Kurama wit her big, round eyes.

"Very well. I will help you."

Chi and ah switched an excited glance as ah pumped mah fists. "Tank ye, Kurama!"

"But," Kurama said, pullin his hand away from Chi and placin it under his chin, "In exchange…please forget everything about Jin."

Chi and ah stared at him. "…huh?"

"Ye-ye're jokin, right?" Ah asked. But he made no motion te smile.

"Kurama!" Ah yelled, gettin off of a knee and leanin over te table, "Ye got ta be kiddin meh! Wot kind of deal is tat?"

"It's either that or nothing. Let Mrs. Takahashi make her decision." He said. Ah looked down at te girl, whose eyes were wide in shock.

"Chi?" She blinked, looking up at me with a panic struck face.

"I…" She opened her mouth, seemin to wont te say more, but she only pursed her lips together. Kurama leaned his head on his hand, looking at her calmly.

"Please don't think this is personal, Mrs. Takahashi. This is for the best." For a moment, Chi's eyes sparked with what ah could only guess as anger. But then Kurama continued. "Don't you want to save the boy?"

The spark disappeared and she lowered her head. Mah eyebrows lowered in worry. "Chi…"

"I…" She stood up, her hands crunching her crimson skirt. "I need time to think."

And wit tat, she ran out te door. Ah smacked mah forehead and leaned towards Kurama. "For pete's sake, Kurama! Couldn ye have done tis another way, in te very least? Ye just met te girl!"

"I know the basics." Kurama replied, standing up with Chi's cup in one hand and his in the other. "She is a human. You are a demon. It shouldn't have happened in the first place."

And wit tat, he turned and walked into te kitchen. And ah ran after Chi.

~…*…~

I knew it shouldn't have happened; my relationship with Jin was just one big mistake. But I couldn't go back. Not to how it was before.

I knew it was selfish. And I knew it was pitiful. But after having spent so much time together with Jin, even trying to imagine life without him seemed almost impossible.

I wanted to stay by Jin's side.

I sat down on the bench in front of Kurama's apartment building with a sigh.

But even if these were my true feelings…could I bring myself to sacrifice an innocent boy?

"Chi!"

I looked up to see Jin running over to me. His face was dripping with concern and worry.

It reminded me how weak I was. Jin had gone through the trouble of bringing me to meet Kurama, to help _me_ with _my _problems. I didn't deserve the choice of staying beside Jin.

Especially right now, when the shrine needed me. When that little boy needed me.

"I…" Jin slowed down as he neared me. I lifted my head up to smile. "I am going to agree with Kurama's terms."

Jin's mouth dropped open. "_Wot_?"

"I can't sacrifice this boy's life for my own selfish reasons. This is _my_ responsibility."

Jin folded his arms, and for the first time since I'd met him, he was silent.

It was the worst thing I had ever experienced.

I wanted him to talk; to scream, to yell that I was wrong. But only crueler words came out my mouth.

"I mean…why don't we be honest?" I could feel the pathetic smile rising on my face. "We both know it'd be best if we had never met each other…so why don't we stop playing this silly game…"

I choked on tears.

"Before someone really gets hurt?"

I wasn't lying…it was true. If Jin was forced to leave me alone, the he wouldn't get involved with Mr. Hamada, Kuronusuke and the rest of the Yakuza. It was for the best…I didn't want him to get hurt.

Yes…this would be the last time I hurt Jin.

He stared at the ground with only disappointment written on his face.

"…Ah would never hurt ye, Chihiro."

A gust of wind suddenly twirled my hair into my widened eyes, forcing them closed. When I opened my eyes, Jin was gone. As I pulled the last strands of hair out of my face, I looked up into the sky, where the clouds were strangely parted.

"Don't…don't hate me, Jin…"

~…*…~

Ah had said it myself. It wos better tat she wasn't involved with me.

But then why did ah feel so upset when she said it out loud?

Ah landed into a nearby tree. And when ah said nearby, ah meant in te next city.

"_Before someone really gets hurt?"_

Ah couldn't take it. Te words she wos spoutin, and te expressions she showed.

Bitterness and pity were all ah could see in her smile. Ah didn't wont to be the one she showed tat smile to…ah only wonted her happy grin.

Ah sighed, rubbing my sweating face. Where wos ah gonna go now? Surely Kurama would go to Yusuke and tell his side o te story before ah even had a chance…and then ah'd be the one who wos wrong.

Ah dropped down from te tree and began to walk when a familiar voice called out mah name.

"What are you doing in this town?"

Ah turned, only to find my mouth drop.

"Yusuke! Ah tink ah should be te one askin tat question! Why'd ye leave yer ramen stand?"

Yusuke rubbed the back o his head as he approached meh. "I have to get ingredients, and the place I usually order from couldn't deliver today…so I came to get 'em myself."

He threw a bag o groceries towards me, expecting meh te catch it. When one o te radishes dropped, he raised an eyebrow.

"Did…something happen? You're a wind demon who's beaten the shit out of me before…yet you couldn't catch a radish."

~…*…~

"Thank you for walking me home, Kurama."

My thanks were whispered, as I was trying my hardest to keep from crying.

Kurama nodded, his eyes not leaving the road. "It was the least I could do. I know that you aren't my biggest fan right now…"

The clouds had moved in long ago, and the rain had not stopped since Jin had left, ironically enough.

With me umbrella-less, Kurama was more than happy to not just offer one, but to hold it above my head all the way to my shrine.

Surprisingly, we didn't live terribly far from each other. In fact, when we first had arrived at his door, I was a bit surprised that we hadn't met before.

It wasn't like his handsomeness would have gone unnoticed.

I shook the pointless thoughts out of my head.

"Mrs. Takahashi?"

I looked up at him for a moment, only to look back down at the ground. He sighed lightly, but loud enough for me to hear it.

"Do you know where Jin is from?"

I looked up, my hands now balled in nervousness. "W-what?"

"I know that you think I'm a terrible person for trying to keep you away from him…but I have good reasons behind the decision."

~…*…~

"So that happened…" I leaned back and sighed, rubbing my head as the waitress put my drink down. "Ah, thanks."

I looked at Jin, who was sulking on the other side of the booth. "Ah knew Kurama wouldn't like it, but…he's bein a real jerk about tis situation. And not just te meh, but te Chi too…"

I took a sip of my drink, the warm sake streaming down my throat. Kurama and Jin had butted heads before about this kind of thing. Not as specific as this case, given, but Kurama had tried making plenty of deals with this stubborn demon. But Jin liked video games too damn much to ever agree (which was fine with me cause Kuwabara wasn't enough of a match most of the time).

But these deals of Kurama had never gotten to him like this one had. Something was wrong. I was missing something.

"…Kurama ain't the one that's bugging you, is he?" He jumped nervously before looking out the window. Bull's eye. "Spit it out, Jin. What else happened?"

"…Chi agreed to it before I even had the chance to do anyting about it." He raised his arms in frustration. "And _then_ she said—she said…!"

He threw his hood off, ruffling his hair in aggravation. After making sure he put it back on, and that no one saw his ears, I continued the conversation.

"What'd she say?"

Jin's shoulders lowered as he sighed again.

_I mean…why don't we be honest? _

_We both know it'd be best if we had never met each other…so why don't we stop playing this silly game…_

_Before someone really gets hurt?_

I blinked, surprised. Chi had really said that? It seemed out of character…

Anyone who looked at these two could see that she was smitten with Jin, and it certainly was the same the other way around.

I leaned my cheek onto my hand, grinning at Jin. "Do you really believe she meant that?"

He blinked, looking at me. "Wot do ye mean?"

"Really, Jin?" I sighed. "Maybe you're too smitten with this little kitten to notice, but she was obviously saying that against what she really wanted."

He didn't say anything. He just stared at the table, thinking to himself.

"Wasn't there any hint of responsibility in her voice?"

He seemed to jolt, remembering something.

"_I can't sacrifice this boy's life for my own selfish reasons. This is my responsibility."_

I laughed, nodding. "While chicks may not be my specialty, responsibility sure as hell is!"

Jin stood up, his cheeks tinted. I knew where he was going.

"Sorry, Yusuke, but ah—"

"Yeah, I know." I said with a grin. "Go get 'er."

~…*…~

"There are more worlds than this one, Mrs. Takahashi."

I blinked. "Other…worlds?" He nodded.

"Although I can't go into detail, I will tell you this."

He paused, for what I'm almost positive was dramatic effect.

"Jin is not of this world." When he didn't get the gasp he probably expected, he continued. "He is from a much more dangerous place, where dangerous creatures live. And the more Jin comes to this world…"

He lowered his face to mine. "The more danger you are in."

I stopped walking and looked away from him. I could feel him staring at me, but I made no motion to meet his gaze.

He said he was doing it for my sake. That Jin was from a dangerous place. A dangerous world.

"Now do you understand?" He asked gently.

But I didn't care about where he was from, or who he was associated with. I believed in Jin, and that was all that mattered.

"I…can make it from here." I said, my eyes squeezed tightly.

"What?" He said with a blink. "Let me at least take you to your door. You'll catch a cold—"

"It's fine!" I screeched, opening my eyes and walking from under his umbrella.

Apparently I had squeezed my eyes too tight, because everything went black for a moment, and I tripped over my own feet.

A warm hand took mine and pulled me back on balance. When my eyes cleared, Kurama was staring down at me with his eyebrows lowered.

"Are you alright?"

It took me a moment to realize that he had dropped his umbrella while preventing my fall, and that we were now standing in the rain.

"I…I'm sorry." I said, pulling myself away from his grip. I picked up the umbrella with shaking hands as I gave it to him.

"I…take it back."

Kurama blinked as I stepped from under the umbrella again. "You take what back?"

"The deal." His eyes widened. "I cancel my agreement to it."

~…*…~

I was impressed. Given, I wasn't completely happy, but impressed nonetheless.

Well, more than anything, I think I was curious.

How was Mrs. Takahashi going to save the boy without my help?

The way she had looked at me. The way she had _talked _to me…they were filled with a confidence that hadn't been there before.

"_Are you aware of what you're doing?" I asked, surprised at her change of heart. "The boy—"_

"_Is my responsibility." She said gently yet firmly, lifting her drenched head. "And it was wrong of me to have tried to depend on someone else for my problems."_

_She bowed to me. "I'm sorry for getting you involved, and for making you have an argument with Jin. I'll explain the situation to him next time I see him." And with that, she turned to leave._

"_I don't want to seem rude, but…" She turned her head towards me. "You're being really selfish."_

_She looked down at first, giving me hope that she'd seen the light, before looking at me with a surprisingly warm smile. "I know. But Jin taught me that, sometimes, it's okay to be selfish. Because sometimes…that's the best decision you can make."_

_Her confidence seemed to have gone from the negatives to the thousands __**(1)**__. Had Jin really given her all of this self-assuredness? _

_I concentrated on the problem. "What about the boy? What are you going to do?"_

_She flipped her wet bangs out of her face, still wearing that smile. _

"_I'll save him."_

Her answers had seemed so blunt and clear, as though I was an idiot.

As I walked up the stairs to my apartment, I shook my umbrella to get as much water off as possible.

I wasn't expecting Jin to be sitting outside of my door.

"Ey!" He yelped, covering his face with his arms to prevent any more water from soaking him. "Tone it down will ye? Ah already had a bath today."

"Jin?" I asked, slightly confused as to why he wasn't at Mrs. Takahashi's house, begging her to change her mind. "What are you doing here?"

As he wiped the last of the water off his face, he turned his head up towards me.

"Oh…about tat…ah wonted te talk to ye about your deal wit Chi one more time."

I sighed lightly, nodding, before opening the door and letting him in.

"Don't get water on the wood."

"Ye did tis to meh, pay te price!"

~…*…~

Kurama unbuttoned his shirt a bit wit a sigh and closed his eyes to rest for a lil as he sat down on the couch. Ah gave him a minute.

But a minute was all. "Ah'm beggin ye now, Kurama…please, break off te deal ye made wit Chi."

He looked at meh at the corner of his eye before closin them again. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Ah jumped up and grabbed his collar. "Why te hell not?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mess up my clothes, thank you." He said cautiously, eyeing me like a child.

We stared at each other in a moment of silence before ah threw mah hands down to mah side.

"…Sorry." Ah asked him again, "But why te hell can't ye break te deal?"

"Because," Kurama said, adjusting his collar as he turned towards the kitchen to make tea, "she already broke the deal."

~…*…~

I could almost hear the shock emitting from Jin. He stayed silent for a moment longer.

"…She…she wot?"

"She said that she'd find another way to save the boy…and stay with you." I leaned out the kitchen doorway. "Would you like some tea?"

Jin's face was as red as his hair. He stared at the ground, his mouth seeming to struggle to get words out.

"S-s-stay…wit meh?" He repeated, pointing to himself as he stepped closer to me. I sighed, leaning on the wall.

"You've really fallen for her, haven't you?"

His head flew up as he continued trying to make words. "N-n-no…ah just…ah just…"

He turned away from me, placing his hands on his hips while letting a proud laugh out. "Tis means ah wos right, is all! Bwa ha ha ha!"

He was suddenly shaking my hand, his normal grin back on his face. "Tanks a lot, Kurama! Ah'll see ye later!"

He flew out the door way, but still slow enough for me to see his tinted cheeks.

I shook my head before turning back into the kitchen. "I suppose this is situation is already out of my hands…" I said, recalling the last words that Chihiro Takahashi and I had shared.

"_Can I ask of you one favor, Mrs. Takahashi?"_

_She turned to me, now about a yard away._

"_Don't fall in love with Jin."_

_Her cheeks burned clearly through the rain. She looked away, answering not a yes or no, and ran into the darkness._

~…*…~

**(1) **IT'S OVER 9000! Sorry…couldn't resist. xD

Hope you enjoyed this chapter of Closing the Distance! I really enjoyed writing this chapter…it was so cute! Honestly I didn't expect to write all of these different POVs, but it kind of just happened ha ha.

Anyway, R&R please! They always inspire me to write faster! And of course, thank you for the reviews so far! I think this has been my most successful story yet!


	5. Chapter 5

Meh…I feel as though in each chapter I write, I lose more of Jin's accent. I need to work on that some more.

Anyway, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the reviews! They make me happy; especially the ones that give me suggestions for improvement! I'll work on them; thank you!

Thanks to deaddog1991 for reminding me that Yusuke is, in fact, a demon. I honestly forgot about that factor in chapter 2…whoops! I'll go back someday and correct that. For now, it can wait. This is a rough draft of the story :3

Oh, and one last thing.

If you've read the manga, you'll know who Maya is. Maya was a character who liked Shuichi when they were younger. To keep Maya safe, Shuichi erased her feelings for him, although it was portrayed that he liked her back.

Well, enjoy the chapter! Thanks for reading! Make sure to read my note at the end!

~…*…~

_I was walking…walking with someone on my back. Whoever it was was light; I guessed them to be a female, with her scent of a flower. For some reason, I couldn't tell what type of flower she smelt of._

_How strange…me, Yoko Kurama, the plant controlling demon, unable tell what flower she smelt of._

_I looked over my shoulder to see Chihiro's face. My eyes widened as I let go of her legs. She opened her deep red eyes and slowly dismounted me. Her hands slid down my back, sending a shiver down my spine._

"_Chihiro?" I said, confused. She looked at me, taking a step back._

"_I don't want to forget my feelings…"_

_Her hair shortened and her eyes turned brown. Brown curls formed beside her bangs as she tilted her head, a tear streaming down. The tear landed on a uniform from my junior high school._

"_I don't want to forget my feelings for you, Shuichi. Please don't make me forget."_

My eyes snapped open. I laid in bed, calming my breathing down as I wiped my forehead. That girl…why did I dream about her?

"Maya…"

Maya, the girl I had once been fond of. But that had been years ago, and I had no regrets on erasing her memory.

I had to protect her. Protect her like I was trying to protect Chihiro.

I sat up slowly with a sigh, bringing my knee up to rest my arm on. Was it right for me to interfere with Chihiro and Jin's relationship?

I admit that I had come on a bit strong, even though I didn't know the whole situation. But it was simple: demons and humans shouldn't mix unnecessarily.

Yusuke alone was one heck of an exception when it came to my view on demons living in the human world. But he had lived his life here, unaware of anything until just a few years ago. Jin was fully aware of what he was doing, regardless of the warnings I had given him.

I didn't mind the occasional visits from him, along with other demons (like Yukina and Hiei). But they needed to stay as just visits, not weeks—to months—of sleepovers at an innocent human's house.

It wasn't fair to Chihiro.

_Does mah care for Chihiro not mean anyting just cause she ain't mah mother?_

I paused, realizing that Jin was right. I had been fully aware of my position since I was born, and even before that.

Perhaps it was just the fact that Jin's personality and my own clashed so much…we often held different views on things, which left me quite stubborn at the end of any argument (his point of view never left any trace of logic).

I sighed, chuckling lightly at what an ignorant fool I had been. "How rude I must seem to Mrs. Takahashi…"

A knock on my door caused my head to rise.

I looked at the clock: 1 o'clock sharp. Besides the fact that I had only come back home from dropping Chihiro off two hours ago, and Jin had come just an hour ago, I was confused as to who would be here. It was the middle of the night.

I got up and opened the door, only to find Yusuke standing there with a large grin on his face and a bottle of whiskey in one hand.

"Yo! Wanna drink with me?"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, sighing. "I'm afraid that whiskey isn't a favorite of mine."

"Oh, I know." He said, pulling his other hand from behind his back, holding a bottle of wine. "You like that fancy stuff. Look, it's the good kind! It's imported from some American vineyard."

When I stared at him in silence, he lifted the wine and attempted to make it dance in front of my face. "Ooooooo, fancy wine!"

"…Stop it, Yusuke. You'll wake the neighbors with your stupidity."

I stepped to the side and let the snickering fool waltz in. "Yusuke strikes again!"

~…*…~

If it weren't for the loud knocking at the door, I would have fallen asleep on the living room couch.

I had been waiting for Jin to come; hoping that he'd either hear from Kurama about what happened, or come to see me at least one more time.

And it seemed he had finally come.

I slid the door open with excitement, my eyes as wide as my smile. "Jin, I broke the—"

My stopped talking when I saw that it wasn't Jin in front of me, but no one other than Kuronusuke. My smile dropped into a frown as I brought the door closer to my body.

"Usually when you break something…" He said, stepping through as he forced the door open, "it isn't something to smile about."

"Kuronusuke…what are you doing here?" I asked, looking outside one last time for red hair before closing the door. "It's late."

"I know," He said, sitting down on the living room couch, "which is why I'm wondering why you're still awake."

I stood in the living room's doorway, my head down. "I…can't sleep."

"So you're waiting for Jin?"

Kuronusuke had become one of the closest people to me when my mother joined the Yakuza. And by close, I meant he was a person who knew me better than I'd like him to. It had been ten years now…ten years too many.

"…would you like something to drink?"

I walked into the kitchen as he sighed. "You really shouldn't be hanging out with such a brat. He just screams trouble with that attitude problem."

"Jin isn't a brat." I retorted from the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of water. "He just likes to speak his mind is all."

Kuronusuke sat up from his once slouching position with a raised eyebrow. "Oh ho? What's this? Since when does little Mrs. Chihiro defend people?"

"Since I've gotten friends that you can't chase away as easily." I said, turning to look at him. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like a child. I can take care of myself, thank you."

"Is that so?" He said, almost in a musical tone. "But while that may be true…that doesn't mean you can take care of others."

I leaned onto the kitchen doorway, raising my eyebrow as I took a sip.

"…that counts little sick boys, too."

I nearly dropped my cup. He turned his head to the side to eye me.

"W…what did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing." He said, his normal, giddy smile returning to his face. He stood up but I ran over to stop him from moving any further.

"Don't tell me…you…" He looked down at me with a poker face, "was it _you_…that sent that lady the letter?"

He didn't move, or answer me. He only stared.

"Kuronusuke, why would you—"

We heard the front door slide open, ending with a thud. I turned around in surprise.

"Chi? Where are ye?"

My shoulders lifted in excitement when I heard his voice. "Jin! I'm in here—"

Kuronusuke pulled me into a sudden, awkward hug and held me tight. I blinked, struggling to get out of his grip. "Kuronusuke, what are you doing? Let go—"

"Never."

I stopped struggling and looked up at him. He looked down at me with a mixture of feelings that I couldn't completely understand. It almost seemed as though he himself couldn't decide what he wanted to feel.

"I will never," He said into my ear as Jin's feet pattered closer, "give you to such a lowly creature."

"Chi—" Jin stopped as he came into view, his eyes wide as his smile dropped.

"J-Jin." I said, realizing how bad the situation must have looked. I switched my attention to Kuronusuke, thoroughly un-amused. "Kuronusuke, I said let go!"

Kuronusuke's sleek smile returned to his face as he held onto me. "Aw, but why? When you were younger, you always enjoyed my hugs! They made you feel loved~!"

I turned red in not just embarrassment, but in anger as well. Just what was Kuronusuke trying to pull?

"Let go of me!"

But before I could do anything, Jin punched him in the face.

I stared with wide eyes at Jin's angry face as Kuronusuke stumbled backwards, his hands sliding off my body. Jin pulled me to his side, his eyes still wide.

"**Keep yer dirty paws off o' Chihiro.**"

My heart was racing as I stared at him. His nostrils flared, his chest heaved heavily and his pupils had shrunk. Only when I stuttered his name did he look down.

His face stayed the same for a moment. But after that moment passed, his eyes softened and his breathing calmed down. I was at a loss for words. I looked down at his hand, which was still gripping my wrist.

He turned red and let go, looking over at Kuronusuke and then back at me. "O-oh gosh…ah'm so sorry! Ah just saw someone holdin ye and heard yer words, and—"

"You **bastard**."

We looked at Kuronusuke, who was wiping the blood off his lip. I walked over to him, my hands raised to help. "Kuronusuke, is your lip alright? You're bleeding—"

"No thanks to this fucker!" He yelled, swiping my hands out of the way. I yelped, pulling them back as he shoved me out of the way, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "How dare you touch me, you swine!"

I looked at Kuronusuke, eyes wide. I had never seen him so angry. "K-Kuronusuke…"

Jin looked at me, and then at the blonde who was approaching him.

He looked upset, but instead of doing anything, only put his hands behind his back. "Ah'm sorry. T'was wrong o meh te have punched ye. Go ahead, hit meh back as hard as ye like."

Kuronusuke didn't bother being polite; he raised his fist and hit Jin in the face. Jin fell back, blood trickling out of his nose before he even hit the floor.

My mouth dropped as I watched Jin sit up. The two glared at each other; I wondered when they were going to blink.

"There." Jin said. "Now we're even."

Kuronusuke slicked his hair back, grinning at Jin as he stood up. "Yeah, right. One punch to my face is equal to at least thirty on yours."

"_Wot_?" Jin said, an eyebrow raised. "Hardly. Tere's notin special about ye."

"Oh really?" The blonde asked, unbuttoning his jacket and throwing it to the side. "Do you want to see what's so _special_ about me, then?"

"Sure." Jin cracked his knuckles, his grin gone. "Ah'll show ye a treat as well, then."

They were about to fight. In my house. In my _shrine._ The realization dawned on me no sooner than the words that came out of my mouth.

"S-Stop it right now!"

The two blinked before turning to look at me. It seemed I had been forgotten with all the testosterone in the room.

"Why are you two so angry?" I asked, approaching them. "You wanted to get even. Now you are."

"But Chi—" Jin tried to justify himself, but I gave him no chance.

"No more!" I said, walking over to the cabinet and pulling out the first aid kit. "Come over here, you two."

Kuronusuke snickered, pulling strands of hair out of his face. "As sweet as it is for you to want to treat my wounds, Chihiro, I hardly need—"

I turned to him sharply. "Sit. Down."

The two obliged. I sighed, pulling my sleeves up to my elbows. "Don't forget to clean your blood off of my floor when I finish cleaning you up."

~…*…~

"Owe!" I pulled back from the swab tat Chi had been dabbin on mah nose. I covered it with one hand, trying hard not to tear up. Why did te little scratches always hurt te most?

"Jin, stop pulling away!" Chi complained, her shoulders saggin as she sighed. "I won't be able to finish at this rate!"

While avoiding the swab, I looked at Chi in silence. Wot a shock it had been when she yelled at us. T'was another side o her I hadn't seen, but wanted te see more often!

A chuckle came from the floor. We looked down to Kuronusuke, who had his sleeves rolled up as he scrubbed his blood from te floor.

Ah looked at him in silence for a moment.

Mah nose was full o mah own blood, but ah was pretty sure ah smelled another demon's red juice.

Kuronusuke wos a demon, too. But ah don tink Chi or anyone else knew. He wos hidin te fact.

Ah just wonted te figure out why.

When Kuronusuke chuckled at meh while under my gaze, ah blinked and scowled lightly.

"And just wot are ye laughin at?" I hissed. "Ye're te one who whimpered when she hadn't even touched ye!"

As Chi sighed, turning back to focus on mah nose, Kuronusuke flipped te bird at meh before continuing to scrub. I growled before suddenly feeling the sting on my nose again. "Owe! Be gentle, Chi!"

"It's your fault for having hit each other." She said. "Face the consequences!"

As she finished treatin mah wounds, Kuronusuke had already finished cleaning after himself, and was headin towards te door.

"Leavin already, buddy?" I mocked. Ah had actually been hopin te catch him while Chi wos away for a moment.

He turned to scowl at meh, but we both stopped glarin and stared when Chi ran up to em.

"Kuronusuke, wait." She said, raising her wee hand to his lip. "Are you sure you're okay? Your lip is still bleeding a little…"

Mah ears twitched, intent on listenin in on their conversation.

Kuronusuke's face surprised meh, considerin he wore a gentle smile that he usually didn't have. "Oh Chihiro…it's just like you to worry about others instead of yourself." He put his hand on Chi's head and rustled her hair before he noticed mah stare.

And tat wos when he grinned tat stupid grin o his.

And bent down to Chi's cheek.

And kissed it.

~…*…~

I must say, messing with that red headed demon was a great stress reliever.

I snickered at the thought of Jin gawking at me as I kissed Chihiro's cheek.

I walked down the stairs of the shrine, unable to keep my laughter in. While I hated Jin's guts for getting near Chihiro, I found his honesty amusing.

"_Ah'm sorry. T'was wrong o meh te have punched ye. Go ahead, hit meh back as hard as ye like."_

"What a joke." I said, shaking my head. How did any demon become such a goodie two shoes like him?

I paused, looking up at the shrine's gate.

Of course, hanging out with Chihiro had enough goodie-two-shoes power to make the Demon King giddy.

I paused my sarcasm.

Chihiro had affected me as well. I wasn't so heartless anymore…in fact, I was quite the opposite when it came to that red eyed maiden.

It made me irritated to think I couldn't protect her. Not from that woman.

That woman was my master; my mistress, my ruler, until death.

I continued to walk down the stairs, my small time of happiness clouded by reality.

Even if I couldn't protect Chihiro from that woman…I would protect her from everything else.

And that included Jin.

~…*…~

"Ignore Kuronusuke, Jin." She said, turnin back towards meh wit a sigh, coverin her cheek in embarrassment.

Ah stared at her placed hand, wantin te erase Kuronusuke's invisible mark from her cheek, and replace it with mine.

When she began to walk towards meh, ah shook te thought out o mah head and threw on a smile.

"A-anywei, ah heard ye broke te deal!"

Her face brightened as she smiled. "Y-yes!"

We sat in silence for a moment. Ah had raced over here, but ah hadn't thought o wot te say.

"W-well," Ah said, scratching te back o mah head, "ah'm glad ye did. Ah'm sure tat between te two of us, we'll figure sometin out!"

She nodded in silence, the warm smile still on her face. "I'm sure, too."

She sat down on the couch beside me, closing te first aid box. She paused at one point and looked over at meh as if she wonted te say sometin, but then only sighed and walked away. Ah watched her in te silence we had made.

Te way she stood on her tip toes te put te box away, te way she gently pushed it in wit her thin fingers. Te way she threw her hair behind her shoulder, and te way she looked at meh.

Ah wanted to see so much more o her. Ah wanted te learn about the sides she hadn't shown me. Ah wanted to know everytin about te girl standing in front o meh.

Ah wanted her.

My face turned red as ah realized wot ah was spittin out in mah mind. _Ah want her?_ Wos tat normal te say?

"Hey, Jin?"

Ah blinked, realizin tat that girl wos sittin down next te me with a tinted face. She took mah hand in hers and smiled.

"Do you…have to go to work any time soon?"

Ah blinked, calmin down a lil and scratching mah cheek with mah free hand.

'Work.' In other words, my life in te demon world. To be honest ah hadn't been tinkin about it. Chi had been filling up mah mind.

Ah sighed, realizin wot ah had been sayin to te girl beside meh. While ah had disagreed with Kurama's logic, ah had to acknowledge the fact tat ah wos puttin te lass in danger. Te more ah came te see her, te more likely she'd be involved. Ah didn't mind her bein involved all tat much; twas te danger tat ah didn't like.

But how could ah make sure she wos safe when ah had to go away?

"Jin?"

Ah looked up, widenin mah smile. "Oh…a-ah don tink ah have much work…at least, not for now…why?"

Her cheeks tinted a deeper shade o red as she stared at our linked hands.

"I…want to work with you more…" Ah blinked as she continued, "And I want to get to know you better. I want to know what your favorite foods are, and what you like to do in your free time, and if you don't mind, I'd like to hear some about your work—"

Ah couldn't take it. She wos too cute when she rambled like tis. She wos too innocent when she smiled. She wos too perfect when she looked at meh.

Ah wanted te stay with her. And ah wanted te protect her forever.

~…*…~

"E-eh?"

Jin's arms wrapped around my shoulders and brought me close to his chest. He smelled like the forest; I couldn't help but take in the scent.

My head was spinning from so many different things: stress, sadness, happiness, confusion and maybe even something close to love.

To think I had almost given up the source of these feelings. While some of them didn't sound so fun, this was the most passion I had experienced in my entire life.

To me, feeling emotions like this was a blessing.

But as quickly as he had started, he pulled away from me, revealing an embarrassed face.

"S-sorry bout tat, Chi!" He said, trying to laugh it off. "Ah don know wot came over meh."

I lowered my eyes, nodding silently; I wish it could have lasted a little longer. His heart had been pounding on beat with mine…

I smiled, moving my hand towards his again.

"S-so…" He said, standing up and avoiding my touch, "wot do ye plan to do for te boy?"

I closed my eyes, calming myself down. Maybe I shouldn't have touched him in the first place. Had I been wrong about his feelings after all?

Jin was charismatic…maybe he only wanted to be friends. Jin didn't think things through like me; he simply said what was on his mind. So maybe those thoughts weren't as similar to mine as I had thought?

I noticed Jin looking at me and nodded, looking to the side. "I-I figured I could try an exorcism. It is a demon, after all."

Jin nodded, stretching his arms behind his head. "It's worth a try."

I nodded before standing and heading towards my room. "W-well, goodnight, Jin."

I stopped at the door to look at him one more time. His face was pensive, looking downward. His cheeks were tinted, like mine were, I'm sure.

But he looked conflicted, as though he wanted to say something, but then couldn't.

I opened my mouth to call his name, but then closed it, deciding not to. Perhaps it was best if I didn't talk to him after all. My heart thumped in my chest slowly as I closed the door.

Was all of this a mistake?

~…*…~

_Can ah protect her?_

Tat wos te question tat rang in my ears when ah held dear Chihiro in mah arms. It made meh let her go and put her at a distance like an automatic reaction.

And tat wos wot now kept me from expressing mah feelins to te girl.

Ah rubbed my forehead, sighing as ah sat on te couch. Ah'm pretty sure Chi had even said good night to meh, earlier, but ah wos bein too stupid to even notice.

"Wot am ah gonna do?" Ah mumbled. "Wot am ah gonna do if she gets hurt?"

Ah had to figure sometin out. Sometin, anytin, before ah could keep her by mah side.

~…*…~

…I feel as though I put too much in this chapter. I had considered splitting it into two chapters, but then there wasn't ENOUGH in each chapter…so I left it as it was.

I also feel that there were a lot of mistakes (including grammar and plot) so feel free to give me good critiques, but please don't say the obvious ("yup, you made a lot of mistakes.").

I couldn't get it right, but one day (after I finish this rough draft) I'll come back and fix it for the better!

Any-who, thanks for reading, as usual!


	6. Chapter 6

Honestly, I finished this days ago. But I wanted to leave some space between the updates, because I probably won't update as frequently as this once school starts up again (early August). Anyway, I think you'll enjoy this chapter…hint hint.

~…*…~

"…It's no use."

I sighed, sitting back onto the heels of my feet. I looked down at the stained spot on the wood of the ground. The spot that Jin had forgotten to clean up last night.

Leaning my elbow on my thigh, I rested my cheek on the palm of my hand. I looked at the open door in front of me, the light bright.

I stared, thinking about what had happened after Kuronusuke left. Jin had been so happy, hearing that I had broken the deal. But then after he hugged me, he seemed as if he didn't want to have anything to do with me. It left me confused and tired, and unable to relax and fall asleep.

But Jin was the least of my problems. I still had to explain to the older woman that our ways couldn't guarantee her grandson would return back to normal. I had some of my mother's sixth sense, but it was nowhere near her power.

In addition to _those_ problems, I had to figure out why Kuronusuke had sent the letter in the first place. There was the first impression that he did it to help speed the process of shutting the shrine down (as if it wasn't going fast enough), but then why had he told me about it? Kuronusuke was a jerk, but not someone who rubbed salt into wounds.

I sighed, hoisting myself up and walking out into the sun. I wiped my forehead and was surprised to feel sweat.

"I must have a cold…" I muttered, wiping my hand on my skirt. "Well, I'm sure I'll be fine after a good breakfast."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Takahashi." I blinked, turning in surprise.

"Kurama?" He bowed lightly.

"How are you doing today?"

I looked at the ground nervously before nodding and turning towards the shrine's door. "I'm fine, thank you…w-would you like some tea…?"

He came closer to me and stayed silent until I looked up at him. "Mrs. Takahashi, I am fully aware that what I did and how I acted yesterday was inappropriate. But that is why wanted to know…"

I blinked, tilting my head.

"Have you told the older woman anything yet? About the exorcism of her grandson?"

When I shook my head with a small sigh, he smiled lightly. "Then please allow me to offer my services again…catch-free."

Something told me I wasn't going to get that breakfast.

~…*…~

Sometimes sleepin in te crisp of nature wos te best ting ye could do (and te breeze felt mighty good, too). Ah couldn't sleep in the room Chi had declared mine; in fact, ah felt far too bothered to even stay under her roof. And so ah climbed into one o te nice sakura trees surrounding the shrine and slept there.

Ah sat in te tree now, leg over leg as I thought.

_Ah can protect her easily when ah'm here mahself…but what about when ah HAVE to go? Who will be there for her?_

I paused, crossing my arms and closing mah eyes tightly.

_Yusuke could only watch her fer so much…a day at te most. Keiko's probably te same. Kuwabara'd probably scare te girl with his declarations of love. And Kurama…_

Ah shook mah head. "He's _definitely _out o te question."

Finally havin had enough, ah dropped down from te tree and scratched mah head. Twas still early in te morning; probably around seven or eight. "Maybe ah should make Chi breakfast. I'm sure she'll be hungry when she wakes up—"

"R-really?"

Ah blinked, turning around the corner to see Chi and Kurama standin outside. Her face was lit wit excitement as Kurama smiled with a nod.

She bowed deeply, thanking him again and again.

"Wot's goin on?"

Chi jumped in surprise before turning to me, the excitement she had held on her face now replaced wit nervousness. "Oh, g-good morning, Jin…"

She laid her hands over her legs and looked to the ground. Ah looked at Kurama wit a raised eyebrow. "Wot are ye doin here so early?"

"You see," She said, raising a hand to the nearing green eyed demon, "Kurama has agreed to take the soul sucker off of the boy."

Ah blinked before leanin in towards Kurama. "Really now? No separation papers or anytin tis time around?"

He nodded and ah stood up straight wit a grin. "Well tat's great now, ain't it Chi?"

She nodded, smiling a smile ah hadn't seen on her face before. The corners struggled to stay up, and they quickly fell as soon as she turned her eyes away from meh. "I-I'll go make some tea."

Ah scratched mah head as ah watched her go. Why did she look so upset? Ah turned to Kurama, pointin a thumb after her. "Ey…did sometin happen?"

He sighed, shaking his head at meh. "I was going to ask you the same question…especially since she made that face towards _you_."

~…*…~

I didn't know I was this upset until I saw Jin's face. I hadn't planned to be awkward or distant, but when it happened, I couldn't stop myself.

I suppose Jin's distance had hurt me more than I realized. But what could I do about it; Jin didn't know he was hurting me. He probably thought that I had been warming his hand when I held it in mine.

I sighed, placing the tea cups on a tray. I turned to see Jin grinning down at me. "Hey Chi! Let me help ye wit tat!"

"A-ah," I said, looking down, "no, that's alright—"

"Ah insist!" He said sweetly, taking the tray from my hands. His hand touched mine and I let go of the tray, tearing my hands away. After a quick stumble, he kept the tray balanced in his hands. I flinched as he looked at me. "…are ye okay?"

I nodded, looking away. "I-I'm fine…I'm sorry." And with that I walked around him to the living room.

He called after me, but I quickly approached Kurama, my voice shaking as I spoke. "Kurama, you mentioned that I could be of help?"

He looked up with a blink, his eyes trailing over to Jin for a moment before returning his attention to my face. He stood up in silence before asking me to follow him. Jin made a motion to follow, but Kurama stopped him. "Jin, could you go back to my apartment and grab something for me while Mrs. Takahashi and I set things up here?"

Jin looked as though he didn't want to leave, but he nodded grumpily and headed out. Kurama turned to me with a sigh.

"After all the trouble the two of you went through to stay together…" I blinked as he continued, "you are avoiding him?"

~…*…~

"T-that's…" Chihiro looked at the ground, her eyes filling with tears. I offered her my hanker chief, which she only stared at before looking up at me. Tears started falling as she tried to keep whimpers from escaping her lips. "Kurama…what should I do?"

I led her back to the couch and we sat in silence for a bit. Once she calmed down, she spoke softly.

"I-I'm afraid…"

"Afraid?" I repeated. "Of what, exactly?"

Her cheeks were stained red as she looked away from me. "Of myself."

I blinked, almost ashamed of my interest in her thought process. "Yourself? May I be so bold as to ask why?"

She rubbed a tear away with the palm of her hand, sniffing. "I don't want to hate Jin…and I don't want Jin to hate me…but if I continue acting like this around him…then I…I'll…"

I leaned back, wondering if I should tell her that the fool was absolutely smitten with her. But I figured that that would be something Jin would like to say himself, eventually.

So instead I smiled, patted her head, and gave her reassurance. "Mrs. Takahashi, something tells me that Jin couldn't do anything to make you hate him…and that you couldn't do anything to make him hate _you_."

She stared at the ground, tears appearing once again. She used my shoulder, weeping as quietly as she could. "I really, really like Jin…"

I patted her head and nodded. "I know."

How strange…was this how Maya and I would have ended up, had I allowed her to keep her feelings for me?

I inhaled and blinked, recognizing an unfamiliar scent. "Mrs. Takahashi…"

She let go of my shoulder as she blinked, wiping a tear.

"Forgive me for this strange question, but…what perfume are you wearing right now?"

She blinked again, pulling the collar of her shirt. "My perfume…?"

I nodded. "Is it made of a specific flower?"

She nodded. "My father went to Egypt years ago and brought me back a perfume made of a certain flower."

"And what flower would that be?"

She smiled, closing her eyes for a moment. "The Blue Lotus…it's said that the Egyptians used it to cure many illnesses. My father used to always say that it was created for me, because I could cure anything once I bloomed—"

She covered her mouth, her cheeks rosy from both embarrassment and crying. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm rambling again."

I smiled, leaning my head on the back of the couch. "I see…the Blue Lotus, was it? What an interesting flower indeed…"

"Ah'm back!" I stood up immediately, trying to put a little distance between Chihiro and myself as Jin flew down from the sky.

"Jin, did you fly in broad daylight?" I asked, approaching him with a sigh.

He grunted, holding the package out towards me as we moved toward each other. "Tis te quickest way te travel! Besides, tey all probably thought ah wos a wee bird or sometin. Here's yer package."

I sighed, taking it. "As long as you're careful, Jin. Now, come help me set this up in the shrine."

I turned to Chihiro, a small grin on my lips. "Mrs. Lotus, go wash up and put your uniform on. We'll begin making 'the cure' soon."

She blinked before standing up with a small chuckle, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Understood, Kurama."

~…*…~

"Wot's up wit tat nickname ye gave Chi?" Ah asked Kurama as we walked to one of the ceremonial rooms. "She already has a nickname: Chi! Use tat instead."

"Are you jealous?"

Ah puffed mah cheeks out, ready with a comeback, but Kurama only chuckled.

"Relax, Jin. We were just getting to know each other better. I'll call her Chihiro from now on."

Ah followed Kurama into te room, and we both were surprised at how clean it wos. "Ah knew Chi did cleaning around here, but…tis is amazin!"

"To clean all of this by herself…it must have taken quite a while…" Kurama said, wiping a finger and lifting it to inspect for dust.

"I'm used to cleaning things myself." We turned to see Chihiro wit her miko outfit on and her hair pulled back. "It only took an hour or so this morning."

Her cheeks seemed redder than usual. Her hands were pale and looked a wee clammy as she approached us. Ah tilted mah head. "Chi, are ye okay? Ye look a little down in te dumps."

She sighed lightly, still not making eye contact wit meh, and shook her head. "I'm just a little tired…but I'm fine."

Wot wos wrong wit te girl? She seemed angry at meh, but for wot reason could she be angry at meh?

"If ye say so…" I sighed, turning away from her in frustration. Notin good would come out o meh snappin at her.

"Yes, well," Kurama coughed to get our attention, "the process of taking a soul sucker off is quite simple, but it does take a while."

"Wot do we have to do?" Ah asked, crossing mah arms as ah leaned on te wall.

Kurama soundlessly unwrapped the package ah had brought from his house. The wrapping revealed a small, crinkled wing.

A soul sucker wing.

"What is that?" Chi asked, approaching it with a slightly curious tone. "It's not…normal, is it?"

Kurama nodded, looking at Chi in interest. "No, it is not."

Ah jumped in, suddenly wantin te break Kurama's gaze at any cost. "It's a soul sucker's wing, ain't it?"

Chi distanced herself again, looking to the side in silence. Ah kept myself from snappin towards her…but that silence wos drivin meh bats!

"Yes. If a soul sucker eats its own kind, it gets poisoned, and dies. But we can't feed a human, let alone a young boy, such a pure amount. We have to turn it into a liquid, so that he can drink it without any side effects."

"I see." Chihiro said, nodding. "Are we ready to begin, then?"

Kurama nodded, sitting down near the heating pot he had asked Chi to prepare. "Chanting spells should speed things up, which is why I asked you to get your miko uniform and utensils."

"Eh?" Chi said, sitting down across from Kurama. "O-our spells actually work on demons?"

Both Kurama and ah laughed at te innocent look on te lass's face. She turned red(der), looking away from us.

"W-wait, are ye sulkin?" Ah asked, still chuckling. "Ah'm sorry, Chi…don't be angry!"

"I'm not sulking!" She said, turning to me with puffed out cheeks. Ah smiled at her, relieved that she had returned to her normal self, but her eyes widened as if she had forgotten something, and she looked away from meh again. "A-anyway, the potion…"

Ah stared at her, my irritation takin flight. Ah needed te get away from her…ah was gonna say sometin foul otherwise. "Kurama, ye don need meh, right?"

He blinked. "No, but—"

"Then I'll leave. Since it seems ah'm not wanted at te moment."

Chi's eyebrows lowered, but she said nothin. Ah huffed, walking out. "Call meh if ye need meh." But Chi wosn't gonna call meh…ah knew this already.

And wit tat, ah flew into te setting sun.

~…*…~

"Chihiro…"

I blinked, looking up at Kurama with a shaking smile. "W-what's this now? You're dropping formalities? Not that I mind…it's a nice surprise. Much better than Mrs. Lotus—"

"He didn't mean it."

I looked to the ground, keeping the smile on my face, for I feared tears would come out if I didn't keep it on.

"He's probably just confused, and unsure on how to act around your troubled side."

"It's fine." I said, pulling out my instruments. "First thing's first: curing the boy who asked for our—I mean…my—help. Let's begin, shall we?"

I didn't want that to be the first thing, as selfish as it was. The first thing I really wanted to do…was to fix things with Jin.

I wiped my forehead. It was getting hotter; was it just the burning fire?

"Let's begin, then."

~…*…~

It had been a few hours. Kurama had left a little while ago to go find Jin, he himself seeming a bit irritated.

And so here I was. Alone with a demon wing floating in a soupy substance and chanting words to help speed the process.

I lowered my chanting instrument, deciding to take that break Kurama had suggested.

To be honest, I wasn't feeling too good anymore. The room was a little blurry, and the fumes from the…whatever it was…were a bit too strong.

I stood up, wobbling until I found the wall. "Maybe I should go make tea…for everyone else, too…"

I tripped on the raised wood on the doorway and clasped my hands onto the frame, using as much strength as I could muster. I was weaker than I thought.

Everything became hazy as I stumbled down the outside corridor.

"Yes…some green tea…he likes Japanese tea the most…" My knees buckled from under me, despite my attempt to stay up. I fell to the ground and stayed on the cool wood for a moment, my cheeks aching from the temperature difference.

I could only hear silence. There was no one here with me. No one to help me up. No one to ask me if I was okay.

Jin wasn't there.

~…*…~

"You know you've made Chihiro quite upset."

Ah looked over at Kurama, my arms folded as ah sat in te tree where Chi and ah had first met.

When ah said ah'd go away, ah didn't mean half way around the world or anytin crazy like tat.

"Well," Kurama said, leaning on the trunk of the tree, "I'm guessing you're not as upset as I thought. Otherwise you'd probably back in the demon world right now, whining to Touya about how a human broke your heart."

"Hey! Watch it!" Ah said, my cheeks tinted in embarrassment. "Ah'm only here cause ah don _want_ to go anywhere else, got it?"

Kurama raised his hands, shaking them lightly. "Whatever you say, Jin, whatever you say."

We sat in silence for a moment, but it only took a moment before my curiosity got te best o me.

"…hey…you said she wos upset?"

"What's this?" Kurama said, lookin up at me wit a grin. "_Now_ you want to know?"

Ah said nothin to encourage his smartass comments. He continued. "Yes, she's quite bothered. Because a certain someone is being a selfish bastard and only thinking about himself."

"Wot do ye mean—"

_Jin…I need you…_

Ah stopped, lowering my fist as mah ears twitched. Kurama blinked, looking at meh. "What's wrong, Jin?"

Mah ears were better than the normal demon's. And wit Kurama in his human form, it wouldn't surprise me if he hadn't heard Chi's whispers.

But were mah ears playin games on meh? Wos ah just hearin her voice because ah wanted to?

"_Jin!_"

My body reacted on its own, positive tat Chi wos callin out mah voice. "Chihiro?" Wind pushed behind me faster as ah raced back up to te shrine.

Ah never wanted to hear her voice so pained again.

"Chihiro!"

~…*…~

_After all the trouble the two of you went through to stay together…you are avoiding him?_

Wasn't he the reason I had gone through these hardships recently? Wasn't he the reason I wanted to take responsibility? So that I could stay by his side?

I felt hot tears roll down my cheeks as I closed my eyes shut. My fists clenched as I tried to pull myself up. "Jin…"

_Call meh if ye need meh._

"Jin…I need you!" I whispered, raising my head towards the dark sky.

"_Jin!_"

A gust of wind suddenly surrounded me, forcing my eyes shut. I opened them to see I was no longer on the ground. Something was thumping beside my ear. Somebody was hugging my body close to them. Somebody's warm hands were holding mine.

It was Jin.

"Wot were ye doin on te ground?" He asked, his face still obviously upset with me. I looked up at him, his face blurry.

"J-Jin…you came…"

"Well," He said, looking to the side, "didn't ah say to call meh if ye needed meh?"

I wrapped my arms around his chest, tears streaming down my cheeks and soaking into his shirt.

"Jin!"

~…*…~

Ah wos so worried about wot would happen if ah wasn't there…but here ah wos, abandoning her when she's right in front o meh own face.

Ah scooped her into mah arms and carried her to her room. She panted lightly as her hand grabbed onto my shirt. "I…I'm sorry, Jin. I was so horrible towards you all today…"

"Don ye go apologizing when ye didn't do anytin wrong. Ah'm te one who should be apologizing." Ah said, laying her into te bed. Ah rested mah forehead onte hers and sat up quickly. "Chi, ye're burnin up! Why didn't ye say anytin?"

She kept her eyes closed as she tried to explain herself. Her chest rose and fell as clear as day. "I…have to try my best…for the shrine…and everyone else's sake…"

Ah sighed, stroking her cheek gently. "Ye're a lil fool, ye are…don't ye realize that ye're not alone anymore?"

Her eyes widened for a moment before narrowing with tears.

"J-Jin…"

"I'll help ye out." Ah said, mah hand on hers. "Even though ah don know how ah'm gonna protect ye all te time…ah'll do mah best."

She closed her eyes. "I don't want your protection…I just want you to be here with me…"

Ah turned red as she looked at me. "H-huh?"

"Is that too selfish to ask for…? Is it okay…for me to want to stay with you, even if you begin to hate me?"

"_Hate_ you?" Ah repeated, leanin in. "Why on earth would ah ever HATE ye?"

Ah paused as she looked to the side, biting her lip. "…Is tat wot ye've been worryin about all day? Is tat why ye've been so distant?"

"That's because!" She screamed, sitting up to have her head close to mine. "I like Jin too much!"

She covered her face, sobbing. "If you leave, I become lonely…if you get mad at me, I become sad…if you were to hate me…I…I…"

She looked up at meh with her eyes wide. "I don't know what I'd do! Jin, you said it before, didn't you?

"Friends are precious!"

Ah didn't tink she could get any cuter. She certainly proved meh wrong. Ah held her in mah arms, her hot tears spilling onto mah shoulder.

"Now let's get a few tings straight here." I said, my chin lightly digging into her soft shoulder. "Ye'r not alone anymore, ah would never hate ye, and ah tink it's _meh_ who likes _ye_ too much."

Ah pulled her in front o meh so tat ah could see her surprised face. "But ah have to be careful, Chi. If ah can't have ye safe whenever ah'm gone, ah can't be too close to ye."

"Eh?" She whispered. "Is…is that why you avoided my touch?"

Ah felt my cheeks flare as ah looked away, recallin te embrace. "Y-yeah…"

She sighed lightly, holding her forehead as she smiled lightly up at meh. "Don't you realize that I'll get hurt either way if you think like that?"

Ah blinked. "Wot do ye mean?"

"Didn't you realize…how I felt when you tore your hand away from mine?"

Mah eyes widened as ah realized she wos right. All today…she had been avoidin meh because ah had been sendin te wrong signals te day before.

Ah wrapped my arms around her again wit a sigh. "Ah'm sorry for havin hurt ye, Chi…it'll never happen again."

She smiled up at me, her eyes drooping lightly. Before ah could even ask if she wos alright, she fell back onto mah arms like a rag doll. "Chi? Are ye okay? Answer—"

"Leave her be, Jin." Ah turned te see Kurama leaning on te door way. He smiled, his finger on his lips. "She's probably just tired. Let's let her get some sleep."

Ah looked at te girl in mah arms, and pulled a lock of hair away from her face. Ah laid her down, only for her arm to reach up when ah withdrew mah touch.

She took hold o mah sleeve and weakly tugged. Tears fell down from her closed eyes. "Jin…"

Ah looked at her in silence for a moment before sighin and sittin on te edge o her bed.

"Sorry, Kurama. Could ye take care o things until she's really knocked out?" Ah took her hand in mine and smiled. "Ah don tink ah could leave her when she's callin te meh like tat…"

Kurama sighed, still grinning, but nodded nonetheless. "I suppose. Although I must say how amused I am that I was supposed to simply help out at first…now I'm getting all the work."

"Chi did a lot earlier!" Ah rebutted, my eyebrows lowered. "Don't tease her!"

"Okay, okay." Kurama said, standing up straight before waving as he walked around the corner.  
>"Don't get too lovey-dovey with her…remember she's sleeping!"<p>

"H-hey!"

Chi shifted, bringing my hand up and nuzzling it under her chin. Ah turned to look down at her again, a wide grin on mah face.

_Because! I like Jin too much! Jin, you said it before, didn't you? Friends are precious!_

"Is tat so…" Ah leaned down towards her forehead, mah lips ready to plant a wet one, but paused, sitting back up with a nervous smile.

"But just how much is a like…until it's too much for a friend?"

~…*…~

I sighed, using all of my strength to keep myself from smacking my forehead.

_Really, Jin? Are you going to be so dense to not realize she confessed to you?_

I walked down the hall sighing at my wind controlling friend's stupidity. I recalled Yusuke's plea from last night:

"_Try to help them out, Kurama. I think they could use a romantic's help."_

"_But I'm not a romantic."_

_Yusuke took a swig of his alcohol and grinned when he lowered the bottle. "Sure you aren't. Just humor me for now, okay? If they start goin down the wrong road, get them back on track."_

_I shrugged, taking a sip of the wine. "If you insist."_

"…I give up. Those two didn't even have a road to get lost from in the first place!"

_~…*…~_

So…? What'd you think? I enjoyed writing it a little too much. R&R please!

See you next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

I nearly fell out of bed.

…_what happened last night?_

I covered my face, hoping that what I was recalling was just a dream. But it only came back as a memory. A memory of a confession.

Well, _confessions_, technically.

"_I like Jin too much!"_

"_Ah'm te one tat likes ye too much."_

"Maybe I've slept too much." But I knew I hadn't. I had confessed my feelings to Jin. "O-oh dear…colds always make me babble too much…"

Sure, I was happy, but I hadn't been in my right mind last night. There must have been some kind of side effect with the fumes from the potion.

"_Ah'm te one tat likes ye too much."_

Something snapped in my head; I was overloading. I started falling to the side, unable to take the heat, but someone pulled my shoulder to straighten me out.

I opened my eyes, startled to see Jin and his comical ears twitching. "Be careful, Chi! Ye almost fell out o bed!"

I nodded, my face still proving it could get a shade darker. He blinked, tapping his forehead on mine. I could feel the breath he exhaled glide over my lips. "Ye're still red, and burning up. Maybe ye should stay in bed today too?"

I pushed him back gently, closing my eyes tightly. If he got any closer, I'd die!

"I-I'm fine, Jin…t-thank you though."

He chuckled, placing his hands behind his head and grinning. "As bashful as evar, ah see."

I looked up at his cheerful grin and couldn't help but smile back. He seemed to finally be acting normal again (if not a bit more friendly).

His smile widened even more (it always surprised me when he managed to do that) and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "There's tat cute ol' smile o yers! Ah've been dyin ta see it all mornin!"

So it wasn't a bit more friendly. It was a lot more friendly.

But I waited patiently for him to have his fill of the hug, in no rush to break free of his touch. I found my smile widening as well.

I had a feeling we would have stayed there longer if it weren't for the smell of smoke.

"Jin…are you cooking?"

Jin's eyes snapped open as he stopped purring over my head. He jumped up, sprinting out of the room and screaming something about his sausage. By the time I had arrived at the crime scene, all that was left were pieces of coal.

"H-how…?"

He said nothing, and only pointed down at the cat circling my legs. "Hm? Yori…?"

"Ah had te keep tis beast from eatin te raw meat…apparently ah spent too much time fightin him off instead of watchin it cook…"

I patted his shoulder, giggling at his distraught face. "Oh Jin, it's alright. I'll make—"

"No!" I blinked as he grabbed my shoulders, his face twisted in disappointment. "Ah wanted te make sometin for ye! Ye're te sick one!"

I blinked again before smiling with a slight sigh.

"Then how about we make breakfast together?" I said, ending the question with a chuckle. His hands dropped from my shoulders along with his head.

"Now ye're teasin meh…"

I patted his head, apologizing. "It's just because you're so cute when you mope!" He lifted his head up slightly before attacking my stomach with tickles.

"Ah'm not _cute_," He said as I tried to take a step back, only to find myself cornered between him and the counter, "ah'm _handsome._ Ye're te one in charge of bein cute, okay?"

I nodded, trying to take hold of his hands with mine. But I was too weak from my cold and his physical form of teasing. "I-hee hee-I understand, Jin! Hee hee, s-so please stop tickling me!"

His ears twitched in pleasure as he nodded, and stopped tickling my sides. I sighed, patting the tender parts he had attacked before looking at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. "That was mean, Jin!"

He laughed proudly, only to be silenced by the surprise attack of Yori in his face. "AYE!"

He flew up into the air, avoiding the ceiling (he had learned from his mistakes after all), and pointed at me with his index finger. "YOU CALL MEH MEAN!"

Yori squirmed from my grip and hissed up at Jin before making his way out the door. We watched him go in silence before I looked up just in time to see Jin flying down to attack. "Ah got ye know!"

"Eek!"

~…*…~

Ah wos gonna do it. Ah wos gonna make Chi like meh more tan everyone else. No.

Ah wos gonna make her love meh!

"Having fun, you two?"

Tat is, if Kurama didn't keep his nosey self out of it!

Chi froze, stuck in mah grip as she turned red. "K-Kurama…!"

Ah let her go and she turned to him, coughing into her hand. "Y-you're still here…?"

"That's not very polite." Kurama said with a sigh, waving his index finger in a circular motion. "Especially since I'm the one that stayed up all night completing the potion."

Chi's eyes widened. It seemed she had forgotten wot Kurama wos here for in te first place. "I-I'm so sorry, Kurama! I didn't mean to leave you alone—"

He held his hand up, shakin his head wit a smile. "No, it's alright."

He looked over at me with a grin. "I was just _teasing_."

Ah stuck mah tongue out at him from behind Chi's back. He wos teasin meh!

Chi peaked up at him, te curiousity dripping off her face. "So…is it ready?"

Kurama opened an eye, his grin widenin. "…maybe." He held out a bottle full of a blue liquid.

Chi ran over, taking the bottle from his hand. "Oh Kurama, how could I ever repay you? With this…the shrine has a chance!"

Kurama chuckled, patting Chi's head. "Just consider this an IOU for now."

She nodded, her smile so wide that her eyes scrunched up. "I'm going to go call the lady!"

She ran out of the kitchen, the patter o her feet soundin so soft. Ah huffed, crossin mah arms. "Ah almost had her, Kurama…"

He turned, blinkin innocently. "You what?"

"N-nutin…" Ah mumbled, sticking mah hands in mah pockets. Kurama looked meh up and down. Ah mocked him tis time, copyin his motions. "Wot?"

"Tell me…how many pairs of pants do you own?"

"Just these. Why?" Kurama's nose scrunched up for a moment before he shook his head.

"Let me guess…you only have one shirt as well?"

"Ah wash them every other day!" Ah said, raisin an eyebrow. "Wot's so weird about it?"

"Nothing, nothing…it's just…" He turned, lookin at me from te corner of his eye, "I don't know how Chi feels about it…"

~…*…~

It was too funny to see Jin scramble about. A bunch of 'wot do ye mean's and 'wot should ah do's made me chuckle as Chihiro came around the corner.

"What's wrong with Jin?" She asked, watching the wind controlling demon fly about the kitchen.

"He's having a meltdown." I chuckled at her confusion before changing the subject. "Did you get in contact with the woman?"

Her smile returned quickly. "Yes! She is going to bring her grandson tonight."

"Tonight?" Jin asked, joining the conversation. Chi nodded.

"They live in the town over, so the earliest they can get here is around six."

I scratched my head. "Well then, it looks like we have some free time on our hands…"

Jin jumped at the opportunity, and Chihiro jumped in surprise at Jin. Of course, I just stared.

"Go shoppin wit meh, Chi!"

She held a confused expression on her face. "H-huh?"

"Ah'm tired o these old rags!" Jin declared, his cheek still rubbing on the top of her head. "So let's go shoppin while we wait!"

"B-but…who will watch the shrine?"

"Leave that to me, Chihiro." She looked to me with a blink.

"Oh, no! There's no way on earth I could leave you with such responsibility! You've done more than enough—"

"But you see," I said, interrupting her with a smile, "I've been meaning to take Jin to get more clothes, but I haven't had the time. It'd actually be a big help if you could do it for me."

I winked towards her, Jin's grin wide. "We'd actually be even, if you did."

Chi was quiet for a moment, her eyes on the ground.

"Well…if it'd pay my debt towards you…"

"YAY!" Jin took Chihiro's hand in his and laughed happily. "Then let's go, Chi! Time's a wastin!"

"B-but I need to shower…I'm a mess from last night." She said, pulling strands of her long black hair to reveal knots in her hair.

Jin smiled still. "Don be silly, lass. Ye look as beautiful as ever!"

She looked up at him, her cheeks tinted under doubtful eyes. "E-even if you say that…I need to shower."

She took her hands out of his and backed slowly towards her room. "I-I'm just going to get ready real quick. I'll be as fast as I can, and then we can go, okay?"

Jin pouted, but nodded nonetheless. Chihiro turned and rushed into her room.

Jin immediately reached for his hoody, his face twitching in anticipation. "Nervous, Jin?"

He growled at me, his eyes poking out of the hoody as he pulled it over his head. "Now ye got meh tinkin tat ah stink!"

I chuckled, turning towards the window. "If it bothers you that much…"

I opened the window and put my hand out. Vines grew along the side of the shrine, bringing flowers up to my hand. I pulled them inside and handed them to Jin, who received them with confusion. "Wot are tey for?"

"Well." I said, "Flowers smell good, right? So if you wear these…"

"Oh no ye don." Jin said, backing up. "If ah have to choose between bein a flower girl and smellin weird, ah'll take te latter."

I smirked at the fellow red head in front of me before shrugging. "Whatever you say…" I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, weaving the flowers into a single braid.

Chihiro came out (eventually), looking stylish with a long sleeve denim button up shirt and a long floral patterned skirt. Her hair ran free as usual, although she ran her hand through it as if it were bothersome.

As Jin gawked at her, I walked up calmly and asked permission to admire her hair for a moment. She looked confused, but granted me permission.

I braided her hair, weaving the flowers in. I tied the bottom of the braid and stepped back, nodding. "As I thought, you look splendid with a braid, Chihiro."

She turned to look at me, pulling a loose hair behind her ear. "You think so?"

My heart skipped a beat at the innocence written on her face. I closed my eyes, nodding to regain myself. "I-indeed."

Chihiro turned to Jin, who's cheeks were tinted. "I-it does suite ye, lass!"

She smiled over to him and they stood there, making me feel quite the third wheel. "Yes, well, the two of you should be heading out soon, don't you think? Don't forget that you have to return before the elderly woman and her grandson return."

Chihiro nodded, moving towards the door. Jin skipped in front of her, asking questions about where they should go and what they should do first.

I grabbed Jin's shoulder, slipping a fair amount of money in his pocket. "That should be enough for a couple of outfits and dinner for two."

Chihiro's eyes widened as she turned to look at me. "W-wait, Kurama—"

"Have a good time."

Jin tugged Chihiro out of the shrine with a wide grin on his face. "Let's go, Chi! We'll find a great place to spend his money!" He chuckled deviously before saluting me and running off with Chihiro.

~…*…~

"Hey there!"

I looked up to see an Irish demon with a pretty girl standing beside him. I clasped my hands together in excitement as my eyes laid upon her. "Chihiro! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

I slid off the stool and linked hands with the smiling girl.

"Keiko, it's so nice to see you again." She said with an equally wide smile.

I rested my hand on my cheek, almost envious of her polite and calm personality. I'm sure she got a lot of boys with that shy smile.

But it was okay. My feisty attitude kept Yusuke in my grasp.

Jin walked over to Yusuke and ordered two bowls of ramen as he sat down. I guided Chihiro over to the seat beside him. "What brings you to this side of town?" I asked, sitting beside her.

She looked over at Jin with a smile. "Kurama requested that I help Jin find new clothes, and Jin specifically requested that we eat at Yusuke's stall for lunch."

"Tis te best ramen here, tere is!" Jin said, grinning at Yusuke, who frowned wearily back at him.

"Yeah, nice compliment and all, but…you're paying…right?"

Jin nodded, waving the money in the air. "Wit Kurama's money!"

I shook my head with a chuckle. Chi chuckled lightly before smiling that smile of hers. It had become brighter since the last time I saw her.

"Oh!" I look back to Chihiro. "I've been meaning to ask you!"

She turned to me, lowering her hand from her mouth with a blink.

"Would you be able to meet with me soon? To make something? I had this really good idea—"

"You talkin about that _thing_ you called a dress?" Yusuke interrupted. Jin snickered as I growled.

After a good knock on the head, I continued. "Anyway, I sketched a dress out that I'd love to try and make."

"S-sure!" She stumbled, looking down at her twirling thumbs. "I-if you'd be alright with that…then I have no objections."

I clasped my hands together in joy. "Great! And hey! Since you're going shopping now, we could stop by a fabric store and buy the materials!"

I turned to Jin and Yusuke, who were staring at me strangely. Their lips were twisted as their shoulders reached their chins. "Hey, you don't mind right, Jin?" I asked with a head tilt.

They switched a look before grinning widely at me with a strange chuckle.

"Um…well…"

"I know a lovely store a couple of blocks from here, as a matter of fact." Chihiro said with a smile. "It wouldn't take too long to get there."

Jin sighed and then nodded, ruffling his hair as he grinned at Chihiro. "Tat's fine…"

~…*…~

"I think this tone would be wonderful for your skin color."

As much as ah had wonted te have Chi all to meh self, ah couldn't possibly say no to her excited face.

And so here ah wos, watchin Chi compare fabric to fabric in tat lil store down te street.

Keiko and her surprisingly had a lot in common—from lil tings like their favorite snacks te their guilty pleasures (some famous singers or sometin…). Chi seemed to really enjoy Keiko's company.

"Hey, Jin," Chi said, approachin meh as ah turned te face her.

She smiled widely, tuggin at te sleeve o mah hoody. "Thank you for taking me out today, even though it was really me who was supposed to be taking you out."

Ah smiled, wrappin mah arms around her shoulders to squeeze her in a quick hug. "Aw, ye're so sweet! No problem, Chi!"

A little flustered from mah sudden embrace, she smiled nervously at meh before returning to Keiko's side. Ah grinned, my shoulders shaking lightly as ah watched her go.

In te end, if Chi wos happy, so wos ah.

An hour or so passed, and te two agreed at a stopping point. Keiko had to return to Yusuke's stall, and Chi had to help me find some new clothes.

"It's alright if ye wont te spend some more time with Keiko, ye know…" Ah said as te two approached me (who wos waitin outside).

"No, it's alright." Chi said. "The point of us coming out in the first place was to get you more clothes. It's Jin's turn, now."

Ah could feel mah cheeks tint. Te girl just kept surprising meh with cute quotes!

"Well," Keiko said, seemingly oblivious to te atmosphere ah wos tryin te set, "I suppose I'll see you later. I'll call you some time to set a sewing date, Chi! It was good to see you too, Jin!"

Ah nodded te her with a grin as Chi waved happily beside meh. Keiko went on her way and Chi giggled beside me. Ah looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, which she met with a noticing smile.

"I'm so glad I met you, Jin."

I smiled back, a bit taken by surprise at her natural tone. My cheeks darkened to a rosy red as I darted my eyes from her hair, to her eyes, to her neck and then back to those red centerpieces.

"Y-yeah…meh too, Chi, meh too."

She looked up at me, still smiling as she turned to walk down the street. "Well, shall we go?" Her hand slipped into mah grip as she batted those deep red eyes shyly.

Ah gave her no opportunity to take it back. Mah ears twitched as ah squeezed her small, soft hand in mine.

"Yeah, let's go, Chi."

~…*…~

DON'T HATE MEEEE D: I've been super busy, and had no time to finish writing this chapter until now! I actually wanted it to be longer, but I liked the stopping point here.

Hopefully I'll be able to get another chapter or two in before I go off to college again. I probably won't be updating for a month or so after August the 5th. I have RA training for two weeks, and then a lot of activities for my community (which I've been placed in charge of, basically).

So. Yeah. Goal: two more chapters before I leave for college, and an update ASAP after training is over. Who knows, maybe I'll have time to write after training days are over. I just know I'm going to be tired, though. D:

ANYWAY. Love love love you all for the WONDERFUL reviews, and I hope you'll continue to read _Closing the Distance_!

Thank you!


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